The Biography of Fyrno
by Fyrno
Summary: This is a biography of an owl named Fyrno.  It talks about his life, his friends, the battles he's been in, the things he's done, the enemies he's made, and other things.
1. Intro to Fyrno, a Guardian of Ga'Hoole

My name is Fyrno, named so because it was foreseen by an owl friend of the family with firesight before I was hatched that I would usually find myself in some way or another doing something with fire. I'm a Spotted Eagle Owl. For some unknown reason, there are streaks of red and orange throughout my feathers. I'm a Guardian at the great Ga'Hoole tree. I'm in the weather interpretation/ colliering chaw. I was put in the colliering chaw because of my fondness of fire. I've been known to play around with fire. I almost started a forest fire once by accident in Silverveil. Because I was put in colliering, I was also put in weather interpretation. I'm also exceptionally good at flying through terrible storms. I'm known for making it out of a hurricane in one piece. I also fly out into different parts of the Southern Kingdom and collect information from slipgizzles when needed to. I'm also pretty good at shaping and forming metals with fire, something I learned how to do from a rogue smith from Beyond the Beyond. My hearing is really good, better than most Spotted Eagle Owls, and almost as good as a Barn Owl's. I'm a good friend of the dire wolves of the MacDuncan Clan. I can speak Krakish fluently. I have firesight as well. I also fly with a short sword under each wing.


	2. The Start of My Life

One of the most reckless things I've ever accomplished was mobbing crows. I was once mobbed by crows myself flying in broad daylight over the Forest Kingdom of Ambala, on my way back to the great tree, after receiving some news from a slipgizzle. Out of nowhere, a good number of crows started to swarm me. There wasn't even a warning call. A bunch of them just showed up and attacked me. Lucky for me, these birds thought they were tough enough to take on one owl by themselves and didn't bother to call for more of their friends. I had managed to kill most of them, and the rest just flew off. After my mobbing, I went throughout Ambala looking for owls that were willing to do something dangerous, yet worthwhile. I had managed to get so many owls to help me with this task that I lost count. Once I gathered them all in one place, I explained to them what we were about to do. First, we were going to send out a team of decoy owls that were to be mobbed by the crows. They weren't actually going to be mobbed; they were just going to be used to summon more crows. Once the crows arrived, all of the other owls, led by myself would mob the crows. We weren't going to kill them, just swarm them. But if some died in the process, then it wasn't too bad of a problem. The plan went as so. The crows that survived attacking me were among this new group of crows. They remembered how ferocious I had been when they attacked me, and I made sure they knew I was behind this. They had apparently told every crow they knew because I've heard stories everywhere from all kinds of birds about how they shouldn't piss off the Spotted Eagle Owl with streaks of orange and red in their feathers, because they won't like what happens to them. Those crows obviously didn't like the taste of their own medicine.


	3. My First Act Of Recklessness

I was born and lived the start of my life in the Forest Kingdom of Ambala. But the happiness wasn't to last and ended abruptly one night. There was a full moon and a storm was rolling in. My sister was about to hatch from her egg. A friend of the family was with us to watch the marvelous sight. The very moment she hatched, lightning streaked the sky and set ablaze the surrounding trees. Thank Glaux I had already learned to fly. Our nest maid snake slithered onto Mum's back and Da grabbed my sister, who hadn't yet been named, and he, Mum, our friend, and myself flew like there was no tomorrow, which almost seemed a possibility. We flew north to Silverveil to wait out the night and the next day. That first night in Silverveil, we decided to name my sister Kaile. When the next night finally came, we made the grievous trip back to our hollow to see what was left of our home. There wasn't much of anything recognizable leftover from the fire, which had been rained out during the day. The first thing we did was go in search of our friend's family. The tree their hollow was a part of had been incinerated as well, but after two nights of searching, we eventually found them. Both of our families had nowhere to live. It was suggested by the friend of our family to go to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. He had friends there and anyone was welcome to come to live at the great tree. So that's where we went. And that's where I've been living ever since.


	4. My Best Friend

Biscayne is my best friend. Biscayne is the daughter of the owl friend of the family whose family joined us on our trip to the great tree. She and I have been best friends since before we started branching. She is also a Spotted Eagle Owl. She hatched shortly after I did. She is shy, but strong. She's very sweet and very helpful. She is currently a guardian at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. She can speak Krakish fluently as well. I taught her how to when I returned from my trip to the Northern Kingdoms. She is double-chawed in tracking and navigation. Biscayne and I have a bond that's incomparable to anything.


	5. One Eyed Thomas

While being a hero has its good sides, it also has its bad sides. I'm talking about enemies. Biscayne and I have acquired some enemies over our time at the great tree. The first enemy we made was a Golden eagle named Thomas. If there ever was such a thing as kraals with eagles, then that's exactly what Thomas was. He's a very hot-headed, short-tempered eagle. The first time Biscayne and I met him, he was being mobbed by some crows. Biscayne and I attacked the crows to try and help him, but that only frinked him off more. One of the crows recognized me and ordered the rest to leave with him if they didn't want to die. So, they left, and we were stuck with a very frinked off eagle. He exploded with anger yelling at us about that was his fight and he wanted to fight it himself. We decided to fly off and leave him to himself, but he apparently was offended by this notion. So he charged at Biscayne and clawed at her tail feathers. That really frinked me off. No one, not even Biscayne, an owl I've known all my life, has ever seen me get as mad as I did that day. I reared around so fast that Thomas got startled. Seeing this opening, I flew at a ridiculous speed towards him, stuck out my talons, and ripped out his right eye. Since that day, he's been known as One-Eyed Thomas. He never forgot that day, and tries to kill us every time he sees us. But he never wins. This losing streak would run a long time, but it wouldn't last forever.


	6. Liliana

The next enemy we made was an Eastern Grass owl and Pure One member named Liliana. Biscayne and I were flying through the forest kingdom of Tyto. We were on our way to meet up with Tetsu and Likaru. They sent a message saying that they had important news for us. As we flew, I picked up the wing beats of another owl coming from behind us with my superb hearing. There was a clearing in the trees up ahead. I made a few barely noticeable signals, and when we got to the clearing, Biscayne went left on and circled around the edge, and I went right. Soon, I heard not the wing beats of one owl, but the wing beats of many. I made another signal, and then Biscayne and I perched in trees opposite each other. Then we waited. A few moments later, half a dozen owls burst from the trees where we had come from into the clearing. When I saw the owl named Liliana's face, I recognized her instantly. The Fire Flash Brigade had thwarted a Pure One operation that she had been put in charge of. They were stealing eggs from the owls in the eastern part of the forest of Tyto. We were sent in to stop the operation. We kept record of which eggs came from which hollows. Then, just as they were about to leave with the eggs, we went in for the strike. We took out most of them, but a few got away. Liliana was one of them. I didn't remember her until now, but she obviously remembered me, seeing as she had half dozen owls, herself included, clad in battle claws, ready to kill me. They were hovering above the clearing, waiting for us to come out. She soon got impatient, as we refused to willingly fly straight to our deaths, so she sent two of the owls to go search the area, one looking on each side. I signaled for Biscayne to take the owl on her side deeper into the trees. After a few moments, there was a scream, and it wasn't Biscayne's. Another moment later, there was another scream. It belonged to the owl that had found me. I saw him before he saw me, so I flew straight at it and did a 360 degree wing-tip spin, knocking this owl out of the air. He hit a tree, which broke one of his wings. So I flew up, then did a kill spiral, and tackled him in the chest. That sent him hurtling backwards and he impaled himself on a tree branch. Biscayne and I met up on the end of the clearing opposite from the one we entered. We then flew straight at another owl and hit him in the back. He was so startled that he went yeep and proceeded to fall to the ground. When he hit, it made a loud cracking sound. We hovered in front of Liliana after that happened, but she only gave us an ugly stare. Then she flew off with what few owls she had left cursing her head off as she flew. Now that this little skirmish was over, Biscayne and I flew off to meet Tetsu and Likaru to find out what news they had.


	7. The Rescue of Flana

They say that all Pure Ones are evil, like once a Pure One, always a Pure One, and what not. But I have discovered otherwise. I know there are Pure Ones that come along every once in awhile that get sick of being the very thing and decide to leave them. Pssht, I should know; I'm the friend of one. Her name is Flana. She is a Barn owl, and an interesting one at that. Instead of the natural colors that Barn owls have in their feathers, hers are brown and black. She also has a blood red scar on her left eye. The first time we met, I was flying with Biscayne through the Forest of Tyto. We often go to Tyto, because we have good friends there. We had just left the hollow of one, when we spotted Liliana and a troop of Pure Ones. We kept hidden because we didn't need a fight right now, and we were greatly outnumbered anyways. But something peculiar happened. While Liliana wasn't looking, one of the owls took off inconspicuously. Biscayne and I flew in the opposite direction as the owl that left. But, much to our surprise, the owl had looped around and was now following us. There was two of us, and one of her, so we decided to face this owl directly. We veered off to either side, and then reared back. Now we were flying towards this owl. We were ready to attack her, but then she did the strangest thing. She stopped in her flight and hovered. She crossed her wings as a signal to mean she was in a surrendering position, and then uncrossed them and waited for our response. We flew closer and hovered in front of her. She told us she was unarmed and would not attack. I asked her why she was following us. She asked if we were Guardians from the great Ga'Hoole Tree. Yes we were, I had told her. She said that she needed help. Why she needed us to help her was beyond me. So Biscayne asked her what with. She said the last thing I'd ever expect to hear come from the beak of a Pure One. She told us she needed help escaping the Pure Ones. We didn't question it, because we could see she was abused by them, for whatever reason. She had a nice cut down her left eye, and was battered and bruised in various other places of her body. Her beak also looked cracked. Biscayne asked me if it could be a trick. That was a possibility. Suspecting our thoughts, she told us Liliana's plans. That was proof enough. We made our way safely out of Tyto and headed for the Sea of Hoolemere. Liliana must have noticed that the owl, whose name we found out was Flana, had disappeared, because we soon found out that her troops were following us. There were eight of them and only two of us. They chased us into the Beaks, and soon had us backed up against a cliff. One might think we were goners. But we weren't. Out of nowhere, Steele came flying with Sarge on his back. Together, they took out two of our followers. So Flana, Biscayne, and I joined in the fight. We each took out two while Steele and Sarge took out the last two. After this victory, we headed out of the beaks and flew across the Sea of Hoolemere, and back to the Great Tree. I explained to Steele who Flana was and he didn't seem to have a problem with it. Once we arrived, we arranged to see the Parliament. Once we went in, we explained the situation, and after a long wait, they allowed FLana to stay, but she must prove herself. And she did so, too. She had access 2 many of the Pure One's future plans. Thanks 2 her, most of their plans were foiled.


	8. When It Comes to Battle

At the tree, when it comes time for battle, I'm the leader of a team called the Fire Flash Brigade. It consists of ten owls: I (Fyrno), Biscayne, Tetsu, Likaru, Kundra, Kaya, Sota, Aronn, Simon, and Anastasia. We are a team of pyromaniacs. We have discovered a new way to fight with fire that gives the way of Danyar a whole new twist. All of us have had training in the ways of Danyar. What we have done is figured out how to fly while on fire. There is a special flammable liquid (we call it fire flash) that we cover the outside of our bodies with, and then set on fire. The flame burns the liquid, and _only_ the liquid. We are rather unaffected and unharmed by the flames. Once the liquid is burned up, the flames go out. In order to use our style of fighting, we set ourselves on fire by use of the fire flash, then charge into battle. Whatever owls that don't go yeep are the ones we charge at. We don't exactly use the ways of Danyar, for that is against their ways. Instead, we use a modified version of it. It has proved very affective in battle and only we know how to make the special liquid, so there's no chance of the enemy using our style of fighting. My team isn't used just for battle, though. We are good for many kinds of missions, such as search and rescue missions, tracking missions, navigation missions, colliering missions, weather missions, and infiltration missions. Every member of my team is chawed and qualified for one or more of those types of missions.


	9. Descriptions of the Fire Flash Brigade

Here's a description of the owls in the Fire Flash Brigade (other than myself and Biscayne). Tetsu is a Whiskered Screech owl. Out of a strong favoritism to the color black, he painted his feathers black with three streaks of silver down his back. He is very tough and nobody messes with him without regretting it later. But he's very kind. He never goes picking fights. He let's them come to him. Tetsu is double-chawed in the Colliering and Weather Interpretation chaws. Likaru is a Striped owl. He and Tetsu are the best of friends. He can sometimes get out of control, but Tetsu keeps him under control. He has a good heart though, and always there for everyone. Likaru is in the Search and Rescue chaw. Kundra is a Barn owl. She is very outgoing and loves meeting new owls. She is the strongest flier of the Fire Flash Brigade. Kundra is in the Navigation chaw. Kaya is a Snowy owl. She loves to sing. She hopes to sing for the great tree one day. She is a great teacher for the younger owls. They all look up to her. Kaya is in the Tracking chaw. Sota is an Elf owl. Although he is the smallest of the group, he doesn't let his size stop him from doing anything. He isn't intimidated by anything. He's very strong and persistent. He always wants to be doing something. Sota is double-chawed in the Tracking and Navigation chaws. Aronn is a Spotted owl. She is a very inventive owl, both with making new things and in terms of strategy. She loves flying during the day. In her spare time, she likes to write. Aronn is in the Search and Rescue chaw. Simon is a Burrowing owl. He is the perfect owl for things that require thinking outside the box. He loves digging, and when he has time, he flies off to the mainland where he has a project that he works on. He's trying to dig a network of tunnels underground that are for living in, as well as practicing and training fighting skills. Simon is double-chawed in the Colliering and Weather Interpretation chaws. Anastasia is a Boreal owl. She prefers to be called Anna, but allows few owls to call her by her full name. Anastasia likes to paint, and is very artistic with what she makes. She is good at cooking, and sometimes helps the cook of the great tree with the meals. Anastasia is in the Tracking chaw.


	10. My First Visit to St Aggies

I remember the first time I saw St. Aegolious Academy for Orphaned Owls, or St. Aggies, as it was often referred to as. I was flying with the Fire Flash Brigade on a mission to the desert of Kuneer to pick up some supplies from a rogue smith. As we entered the desert, out of nowhere, a Barn owl came rocketing towards us. I yelled for the group to split and we made a path 4 this owl so that it wouldn't hit any of us. But as he got closer, he started to stop. Once he did, he choked out the words for us to wait. Once he regained his composure, he asked us if we were Guardians of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. I, being the leader of the group, replied with a yes. At this response, his eyes got wide, he started running questions off faster than we could understand. So I told him to calm down, and so he did. Then I told him to say one thing at a time. He started with his name, which was Steele. Then he told us the story of how he and his friend Jexas had been captured by the Pure Ones and taken to St. Aggies. They both escaped, but Jexas had been captured again. He asked, well, practically begged, us to help him get his friend back. I looked at my team and asked them if they had any objection to taking on this new challenge. None of them objected. I myself wanted some action for the first time in awhile. That, and I was curious as to what St. Aggies would be like. So, we agreed to help this owl. He led us to the canyonlands where St. Aegolious Academy for Orphaned Owls had once resided, but now was a stronghold for the Pure Ones. There were guards everywhere. So I sent Tetsu, Likaru, and Kundra out to go take care of them. The whole Fire Flash Brigade had all been trained in the ways of immaculate stealth, and the three of them had excelled in it a little better than the rest of us. While they were out taking care of the guards, Aronn, Biscayne, Steele, and I went over how we were going to do this. Soon, Tetsu, Likaru, and Kundra returned. They reported that the guards would no longer be a problem for us. Now it was time to execute the plan. We flew into the entrance of the stronghold, with Steele leading the way. How smart of him to follow this owl that owlnapped his friend and find out where he was being kept! Tetsu and Likaru were on either side of him, just in case any more Pure Ones showed up. Luckily, none ever did. Jexas explained to us how this was a very secluded part of the canyon. We soon arrived at a door. Behind said door was the room in which Jexas was being held. The bad news is we didn't have battle claws, for that's what we were going to the rogue smith to get. But the good news is when we entered the room, the only owl in there was a Burrowing owl tied up in a corner. My guess is that this was Jexas. Those thoughts were further confirmed when Steele flew over to him and untied him. He then introduced us to him. I said we should leave now, just in case the owl that owlnapped Jexas, whose name I found out was Grime, came back. We all left the room and flew back down the corridor that we came in from. Suddenly, I heard the sound of wing beats above me. I looked up to see a Pure One flying above us. Jexas and Steele both went yeep, but luckily Aronn and Anastasia caught them. I arced upwards and went into a spiral. I was moving so fast that when I rammed into the Pure One, he didn't know what hit him. Unfortunately, he had battle claws on him, and I was weaponless. But I've fought (and won) many battles in similar situations before, so this shouldn't be that hard of a fight to fight. He quickly recovered from the hurt I just put on him, and now we were flying straight up, attacking each other every chance we had. Suddenly, I made a sharp 90 degree turn and rammed him again, and he hit the wall of the cliff, then started to fall. I flew after him. But suddenly, he spread his wings wide and went back up, while I continued to plummet towards the ground. I curved vertically, just barely missing the ground, and flew directly for Grime. Just before I hit him, he dodged left and took a swipe at me with his battle claws. I retaliated with my own talon. his was aiming for me, but mine was aimed at the battle claws themselves. My talon struck the strap that held it on, and that in turn unattached it from his talons. It fell towards the ground, and I dove for it. I grabbed it just in time before hitting the ground and attached it to my right talon. Now I guess you could say the fight was even. I flew back to where Grime was and hovered in front of him. He seemed angered that I not only took his own weapon from him, but also had no fear of him. He backstroked to back away, and I did the same. Then we flew up and then at each other. Back on the floor of the canyon where the other owls waited, the clanging sound of clashing battle claws could be heard echoing. This went on for quite awhile. Then it ended when Grime took a swipe at me, but I went under and swiped at that foot, dislodging his battle claw and sending it hurtling towards the ground. He spun around and gave me an ugly look, so I reared back and made it even uglier. I flew straight for his face with my talons crossed in front of me. He tried to go down, and did, but not far enough. My talons hit his forehead, and I ripped them diagonally downward, leaving two overlapping X's behind. That was obviously the end for him, because he flew off, dripping blood everywhere. Once he was out of site, I flew back to the owls on the ground and told them it was over. So we flew out of there and headed for Kuneer to finally get the supplies from the rogue smith.


	11. My Second Confrontation with Grime

After we picked up the supplies from the rogue smith, I decided to teach Jexas how to fly properly. The way he flew back in the canyon was so noisy, and that's probably what attracted Grime in the first place. But that's fine, because he took off after I scarred up his face. It probably won't be the last I see of him, though. It took a little while, but he soon learned not only how to fly silently, but also the ways of immaculate stealth. While I trained Jexas how to fly, Steele had went out looking for something to eat, and by the time he finished, he still hadn't returned. He went off with another owl looking for Steele, but said he'd be back soon. So we decided to stay in Kuneer and test out our new equipment. We soon got a message from Jexas that he wouldn't be coming back because his search for his friend needed to be extended, for Steele hadn't been found yet. So we decided to head back to the tree. On our way back across the sea of Hoolemere, we saw Grime and his troops. So we hid in the clouds so we wouldn't be seen. Luckily, the equipment we got from the rogue smith was battle claws and short swords, so if we fought again, I wouldn't have to worry about being weaponless. We arrived at the tree before they did. As soon as we landed, we sounded the alarm that enemies were approaching. All of the Fire Flash Brigade except for me got ready to use the fire flash. Once they ignited, I led them straight into the battle; straight for Grime. I ordered my team to go for his troops and to leave Grime for me. Perhaps it was my overconfidence, or maybe my underestimation of Grime's abilities, that led to my downfall. Grime and I flew at each other and locked battle claws with battle claws. I told him what a pretty face he had, my voice heavy with sarcasm, and then we separated. I pulled off the short sword I had attached to the underside of my right wing and swung it at Grime. He swooped under the blade, though, and rammed me in the chest, knocking the short sword from my talon. He then grabbed it and swung it downwards at my face. It only came close enough to cut a line from the middle left of my forehead, down through my first left eyelid, to the top of my left cheek. Then he flew circles around me. Not used to using one eye, for I had to keep my left eye closed, I couldn't keep up. Suddenly, I felt pain ripple down the length of my left wing. Grime had slashed a cut all the way down it. No longer able 2 hover, I plummeted towards the water. Biscayne, who was nearby, watched in horror as this happened, and she flew so fast towards me that the flame of the fire flash went out. She caught me out of the air, and flew me back to the tree. Grime started to follow, but Boron and Barran stopped him. They fought vigorously, but Grime eventually struck them down, too. As they were rushed to the infirmary, Grime had to retreat, for he was running low in his number of troops. But he retreated with a smile on his face, laughing maniacally. Biscayne took me straight to the infirmary, where my wounds would be tended to. Biscayne stayed by my side for the entirety of my recovery. It took a good three moon cycles for my cuts to heal, and many doubted I would recover, let alone fly again. But I proved them all wrong. I won't say it was an easy thing flying again, because it definitely wasn't. But I eventually did it. And I was able to fly perfectly.


	12. The Unfortunate Attack

One day, some time after my recovery, I was flying with Jexas and Biscayne through Ambala. We were getting hungry, so we started looking for something to eat. I spotted a nice plump mouse. What I didn't see was the rabid fox. I dove in to grab the mouse. As soon as my talons wrapped around it, the fox pounced. It sank its teeth into my left wing. I released the mouse and swung my talon under me and at the fox's throat. It slit wide open, and the fox yelped, and soon it went quiet. Its grip on my wing loosened, and I pulled my wing away. Biscayne and Jexas hovered above me. I flapped my wings to fly back to them. But half way to them, I passed out and fell out of the air, hitting the ground. Biscayne and Jexas flew to my side. Jexas looked over at the fox and gasped. He told Biscayne it had the foaming mouth disease. Over the next hour, I was getting sicker and sicker, coming closer to death by the minute. Jexas suddenly turned around and started to flap his wings. Biscayne asked him where he was off to at a time like this. He said he knew an owl that could help, and flew off. He flew until he found an owl named Draux. The last time Jexas met Draux, Draux told him he would grant him three favors. He used one up then. Now that he had found him, he had another he needed to use. He requested that I would live. Draux granted him this request, and so he headed back to me to see if I was ok. He arrived to see me getting up off my feet and asking what in Hagsmire happened to me. He explained that I was bitten by a rabid fox, and it almost killed me. Luckily, an owl he knew did something to save my life. The bite marks had even disappeared from my wing. I owed Jexas big time for saving my life.


	13. Tha Battle of the Fires of Grime

A new reign has begun at the great tree. The new king, a Barn owl named Coryn, has arrived, and with the Ember of Hoole, too. Unfortunately, his retrieval of the ember and arrival at the tree meant the deaths of Boron and Barran. But they knew it would happen, and said not to worry. Soon after the new king's arrival, rumors were going around about how Grime had gathered troops and was preparing for an attack. I led the Fire Flash Brigade as a surveillance team, and when we came back, we confirmed the rumors. I even got back my short sword that Grime took with him after he cut my face and wing up. We even overheard when their attack was to happen. It would all go down in three days. So the tree prepared for battle. Those three days couldn't have gone by any slower. But eventually they were over, and the day of the battle had arrived. Everything was ready. Every_one_ was ready. We soon smelled smoke. Someone yelled out that they were flying with cauldrons of fire. The Fire Flash Brigade was the first line of attack. We ignited the fire flash, and I led my team out into battle. Some of the Pure Ones went yeep, which wasn't a surprise. As for the the ones that didn't, we flew directly at them with incredible speed, tackling them out of the sky. I looked for Grime, but saw him too late. He was setting fire to the infirmary. I told my team that I'd be back. I flew to Coryn and told him what Grime was doing. He sent Steele and an owl named Sarge to go put it out. I told Coryn that I would get a few of my team to help save the owls in the infirmary. I flew back to my team and ordered Likaru, Kundra, Simon, and Anastasia to dive into the sea to put out the fire flash, then follow me. They did so, then we flew to the infirmary and flew through the flames, grabbed as many owls as we could at one time, then flew them to safety. We did this multiple times. By the time Steele and Sarge had the fire put out, we had saved every owl from the infirmary. Once I made sure all the owls were okay, I flew back into battle, mainly looking for Grime. I took Likaru back out with me, but left Kundra, Simon and Anastasia to care for the owls in case they needed anything. When I found Grime, Coryn and Jexas were fighting him. I sent Likaru off to go assist the rest of our team, and flew to assist Coryn and Jexas. We battled him for awhile, in what seemed like a never-ending fight. Suddenly, I heard Sarge scream. He had been badly hurt. So I left the battle with Grime to go help Sarge. I helped him to the makeshift infirmary, where I called Kundra over to me to help me fix Sarge up. Once he was okay, I flew back to finish the fight. I arrived in time to see quite a scene. Everything seemed to happen at once. Grime sent Jexas spiraling. Then he grabbed Coryn by the throat. He was about to strike him, but before he could, Jexas flew at him and head butted him in the chest, causing Grime to release Coryn.. Then Jexas grabbed Grime and they both went spiraling towards the rocks at a ridiculous speed. Jexas let go of the still stunned Grime and flew up. Then he watched as Grime plummeted to his death. He hit the rocks and his blood went everywhere. The rest of the Pure Ones, after seeing their leader die, retreated, and the battle was over. In less than a moon cycle, the infirmary was repaired and all the owls that were rescued from it when it was set ablaze by Grime, were were returned to it. The tree was soon returned to peace.


	14. Draux Returns

One day, a Burrowing owl named Julia came to the Great Tree. She came looking for Jexas. When she found him, she told him she was his sister. Jexas refused to believe it. She tried everything to get him to believe her, but nothing worked. Finally, she decided to take him to their old hollow. This jolted his memory, and he finally remembered. Soon after, they return to the Great Tree. That night, before twixt time, I went and visited Sarge in the infirmary. The Black Mamba was still recovering from the burns he received in the Battle of the Fires of Grime. He had requested to speak with me about an important matter, so I went to see him. He told me there was a strange black-and-white owl that he'd never seen at the tree before hanging around and asking questions about Jexas. I thanked him for the tip and said I'd keep an eye out for the owl. I soon found the owl. He had found Jexas and was watching him from a distance, so I decided to do the same for this owl. Soon Jexas and Julia went back to Jexas' hollow. The black-and-white owl followed them, and I followed him. Once they went into their hollow, the owl waited outside for them to fall asleep. I kept my distance from him. After a short period of time, he crept into the hollow. I snuck to the entrance just in time to see the owl brutally attack Julia. He made quick work of it, and then he fled the scene. Unbeknownst to him, I had seen everything, and took off like a frinking bullet after him. Jexas awoke to the sound of me flying through his hollow after Julia's attacker to see Julia dying. After getting a hold of himself and the situation, he flew off to find Draux. Sensing something was wrong, Steele went with him. Soon, Drench arrived at Draux's lair, and I was right on his tail. He went to Draux, while I hid behind a rock. Drench told Draux that the deed was done. I recognized the name Draux, and suddenly remembered the conversation Jexas and I had when he told me about the three requests he was allowed to ask of the owl named Draux. The second request he asked was so that I could live, way back when I was attacked by a rabid fox. I soon picked up the sounds of two familiar sets of wing beats. Holy Glaux, it was Jexas and Steele! Jexas was closer than Steele, but Steele wasn't far behind. Soon, Jexas entered Draux's lair. Jexas walked up to Draux and said he needed to use his last request. He asked Draux to let Julia live. And so Draux made it happen. Now it was time for Jexas to make his payment. At this moment, Steele arrived at the entrance of the lair. He showed up just in time to hear Draux say that Jexas' payment for his three requests would be his soul. Steele freaked out before Jexas had time to, and flew into the lair, grabbed Jexas by his legs, and tore out of there. Draux ordered Drench to bring them back alive. So Draux followed them in hot pursuit. I flew back out the way I came in and was soon on Drench's tail. The chase went on for awhile, and the whole time, I was getting closer to Drench. I flew a good distance above him, and as soon as I had passed him, I calculated the distance, gauging myself so this maneuver would work, and, timing it right, I tore downward in a kill spiral and tacked Drench in the middle of his back. I didn't kill him, but I'd be willing to bet that he would be feeling that in the morning. I then used the speed I had put into the kill spiral to catch up with Jexas and Steele. Drench, realizing that we had escaped, flew far from painlessly back to Drench's lair. He flew in the entrance and lowered his head in deep shame. With that notion, Draux knew what happened. As Jexas, Steele, and I flew back to the tree, Jexas gave voice to his thoughts. He asked Steele why he was in such a hurry to get him out of there. Steele paused before answering. Then he said that he knew Draux long before Jexas ever did. We asked him to tell us his story, and so he did: Steele was once approached long ago by an owl named Draux. It involved a deal that included 3 wishes, with payment on the third. He spent his first two unwisely. On the third his grandmother was dieing. He went to Draux and wished for that. Draux made it come true but did a ceremony that Steele fell asleep during. When he woke up his grandmother was already up and said she felt great. Next thing Steele knew she was dead in a forest fire. He went to Draux and Draux said that ceremony was a soul taking ceremony and Draux now owned Steele. He proved this by turning Steele in to a Phoenix. He said every morning, in the presence of enough evil, he would turn into this creature. And as long as that happened, he would be immortal. And so concluded Steele's story. Both Jexas and I were shocked. But we soon got over it. We were getting closer to the tree. When we got there, we immediately checked on Julia, and found that she was okay.


	15. Jexas' Sister

One day, a Burrowing owl named Julia came to the Great Tree. She came looking for Jexas. When she found him, she told him she was his sister. Jexas refused to believe it. She tried everything to get him to believe her, but nothing worked. Finally, she decided to take him to their old hollow. This jolted his memory, and he finally remembered. Soon after, they return to the Great Tree. That night, before twixt time, I went and visited Sarge in the infirmary. The Black Mamba was still recovering from the burns he received in the Battle of the Fires of Grime. He had requested to speak with me about an important matter, so I went to see him. He told me there was a strange black-and-white owl that he'd never seen at the tree before hanging around and asking questions about Jexas. I thanked him for the tip and said I'd keep an eye out for the owl. I soon found the owl. He had found Jexas and was watching him from a distance, so I decided to do the same for this owl. Soon Jexas and Julia went back to Jexas' hollow. The black-and-white owl followed them, and I followed him. Once they went into their hollow, the owl waited outside for them to fall asleep. I kept my distance from him. After a short period of time, he crept into the hollow. I snuck to the entrance just in time to see the owl brutally attack Julia. He made quick work of it, and then he fled the scene. Unbeknownst to him, I had seen everything, and took off like a frinking bullet after him. Jexas awoke to the sound of me flying through his hollow after Julia's attacker to see Julia dying. After getting a hold of himself and the situation, he flew off to find Draux. Sensing something was wrong, Steele went with him. Soon, Drench arrived at Draux's lair, and I was right on his tail. He went to Draux, while I hid behind a rock. Drench told Draux that the deed was done. I recognized the name Draux, and suddenly remembered the conversation Jexas and I had when he told me about the three requests he was allowed to ask of the owl named Draux. The second request he asked was so that I could live, way back when I was attacked by a rabid fox. I soon picked up the sounds of two familiar sets of wing beats. Holy Glaux, it was Jexas and Steele! Jexas was closer than Steele, but Steele wasn't far behind. Soon, Jexas entered Draux's lair. Jexas walked up to Draux and said he needed to use his last request. He asked Draux to let Julia live. And so Draux made it happen. Now it was time for Jexas to make his payment. At this moment, Steele arrived at the entrance of the lair. He showed up just in time to hear Draux say that Jexas' payment for his three requests would be his soul. Steele freaked out before Jexas had time to, and flew into the lair, grabbed Jexas by his legs, and tore out of there. Draux ordered Drench to bring them back alive. So Draux followed them in hot pursuit. I flew back out the way I came in and was soon on Drench's tail. The chase went on for awhile, and the whole time, I was getting closer to Drench. I flew a good distance above him, and as soon as I had passed him, I calculated the distance, gauging myself so this maneuver would work, and, timing it right, I tore downward in a kill spiral and tacked Drench in the middle of his back. I didn't kill him, but I'd be willing to bet that he would be feeling that in the morning. I then used the speed I had put into the kill spiral to catch up with Jexas and Steele. Drench, realizing that we had escaped, flew far from painlessly back to Drench's lair. He flew in the entrance and lowered his head in deep shame. With that notion, Draux knew what happened. As Jexas, Steele, and I flew back to the tree, Jexas gave voice to his thoughts. He asked Steele why he was in such a hurry to get him out of there. Steele paused before answering. Then he said that he knew Draux long before Jexas ever did. We asked him to tell us his story, and so he did: Steele was once approached long ago by an owl named Draux. It involved a deal that included 3 wishes, with payment on the third. He spent his first two unwisely. On the third his grandmother was dieing. He went to Draux and wished for that. Draux made it come true but did a ceremony that Steele fell asleep during. When he woke up his grandmother was already up and said she felt great. Next thing Steele knew she was dead in a forest fire. He went to Draux and Draux said that ceremony was a soul taking ceremony and Draux now owned Steele. He proved this by turning Steele in to a Phoenix. He said every morning, in the presence of enough evil, he would turn into this creature. And as long as that happened, he would be immortal. And so concluded Steele's story. Both Jexas and I were shocked. But we soon got over it. We were getting closer to the tree. When we got there, we immediately checked on Julia, and found that she was okay.


	16. Draux's and Jexas' Final Stand

Some of us that were a part of the incident with Drench and Draux might have thought it to be over, but I'm sorry to say that they're wrong. The good news is that Drench is no longer an owl to worry about. The bad news is the reason for this. One night, I saw Jexas leave the Great Tree, and I decided to follow him. The path he was flying looked utterly familiar. Everything we passed, the surroundings, the landscape, it all had a familiar feel to it, as if it was a place I'd been before. Soon, I saw a cliff, and in it, I hole, an entrance perhaps, leading to something within. Then it hit me: Jexas was returning to Draux's lair! His reasons for doing so I was well unaware of, but I told myself that I must keep following. Jexas flew into the lair, and I remained at the entrance. Suddenly, I heard Jexas scream. I flew like Hagsmire into the cave to find Jexas lying on the cave floor half in shock. I then saw what did this. In front of him was the skeleton of Drench. Draux had obviously burned him because of his failure. I didn't want Jexas to know I was there, so I flew up as soon as I entered the cave and scaled the wall until I landed in another hole in the wall. Jexas was too startled by the sight in front of him to notice me, anyways. Luckily, Draux was nowhere to be found. After searching around for a little while, Jexas finally left. I waited awhile before I left. I wanted to take a look around myself. After a lot of searching and a lot of finding nothing, I decided to leave. When I got back to the tree, I went in search of Jexas, but when I found him, he was in no mood to talk. I soon found out that it wasn't just me he was neglecting, but also Steele and Julia as well. In fact, he kept away from the entire tree. He wanted nothing to do with anyone. But one day, he gave me reason to think otherwise. I saw him flying, alone of course, but he had a streak of blue in a part of his feathers. I wondered what that possibly could've been, but then I remembered there was a club, called the Blue Feather Club, in which the members wore a blue feather in theirs. I couldn't believe Jexas actually joined them. I had my suspicions about the Blue Feather Club, but I couldn't prove them. I decided to ask him about it later. When the time finally came, I went to his hollow. He was alone, so I let myself in. He didn't say anything when he saw me. He only looked at me. I asked him why he joined the Blue Feather Club. He looked shocked by how I knew about that. I told him what I had seen earlier that day. He looked like he regretted flying at all that day. I asked him if he even knew what the Blue Feather Club was all about. He shook his head as if to say yes, but no. So I explained to him my suspicions. I suspected that the Blue Feather Club was doing things with books. I often saw members of that club sneaking books from the library. I thought they were taking them to their hollows, but they never made it back to the library. And in the fires, I'd seen owls starting fires with unnatural materials. I couldn't quite make out what they were using, but I was pretty sure they were burning books. Jexas wouldn't believe me, so I left. On my way out, I told him that when he realized what he'd gotten himself into, then he could come and find me. But until then, I wouldn't talk to him. I wasn't the only one who knew what was happening. Sarge knew as well. He decided to confront the Striga about this. As soon as he said the words "book burning", the Striga stared at him, but only briefly, before brutally attacking him. After attacking him, he decided to throw him over the side of the tree and into the water. Luckily, Sarge was able to catch himself on the side of the tree. With what strength he had left, he slithered to the infirmary and they helped him immediately. Just before Sarge's attack, Fyrno and Steele flew off for Ambala in search of the Band, so they had no knowledge of what happened. We left at tween time, and by twixt time, We arrived in Ambala. We were hungry when they got there, so We decided to find some food. Steele saw a mouse and dove for it. Just as he grabbed it, he heard a familiar voice call out his name. It was Gylfie. She and the rest of the Band were all gathered around a tree looking at a flier nailed to a tree. I flew down to where Steele was. When they saw Steele and I, they were confused as to why we were so far from the tree. I told them that we had been looking for the four of them because I had bad news. They, as well, had bad news for us. They showed us the flier that was on the tree. It was proposterous what the flier said. I told them that I thought I knew who conjured such a message. It turned out that we were all thinking the same owl: the Striga. Then I told them my bad news. Books were disappearing. In the fires, I'd seen fires being started with unnatural materials. Although I couldn't make out for sure what was used, I could tell the shape, which was of the shape of books. And who was starting these fires? It was none other than the owls of the Blue Feather Club. The Band confirmed my suspicions of book-burning when they told me that they'd found many fires wth burnt scraps of book pages leftover. We had to get back to the Tree to let Coryn know what was going on. Unfortunately, that flier was a sign of exile. The Band couldn't go back to the tree. They had to go into hiding until their names could be cleared. But luckily, Steele and I weren't in exile. We could go back to the tree and warn Coryn about what was happening. But first, there was somewhere else we needed to go before our return to the tree. We needed to pay a visit to a rogue smith named Shay, a Snowy Owl that lived in the Shadow Forest. We soon said our goodbyes and went to go see Shay. Back at the tree, Jexas had found out that everything I told him was true. He even heard about the Striga's attack on Sarge. All of this overwhelmed him, and he needed to get away. So he flew off to find me. He heard that I was somewhere in Ambala, so that's where he went. When he got there, he found some owls and asked them if they'd seen me. They said that I was here, but left not too long ago for the Shadow Forest. He thanked them, and then started off for the Shadow Forest. On his way, he met a seagull, named Ekwen. Ekwen was a lover for wet poop jokes. Jexas and Ekwen flew together for awhile, telling each other every wet poop joke they'd ever heard. It was getting light soon, so Jexas and Ekwen settled down in an abandoned hollow so they could get some rest. Over in the Shadow Forest, Steele and I had arrived at Shay's forge. Unlike most rogue smiths, Shay shared her name with others. We were going there to get battle claws. When we arrived, she had them waiting for us. there were three pairs: one for me, one for Steele, and one for Jexas. Steele and I attached ours to our talons and I strapped Jexas' battle claws to my back. We thanked her, and then took off to find a hollow to sleep in for the day. When tween time came around, I awoke to hear Steele screaming. He'd been doing this the last couple nights. I went to touch his shoulder with my wing, but he sensed it and exploded awake and swatted at me. He then started to transform into a phoenix. I flew out of the hollow and hovered a good distance away, waiting to see what would happen. Once he was fully transformed, he flew out of the hollow and started to attack me. I couldn't understand why he would do this. So when I found the chance, I lashed out at him with my battle claws and cut his chest. That distracted him long enough for me to get away from him. I flew fast and far, out of the Shadow Forest and into Silverveil. I soon found a grog tree and what I discovered there had shocked me. There was another flier of exile, only this time it was for Steele! I settled down at a table at the grog tree. I needed to clear my mind. What was it that Steele was screaming in his sleep? Jexas... something about Jexas... he had to find Jexas and... oh my Glaux! He was saying he had to find and kill Jexas! I needed to find Jexas before he did, or, well, I didn't want to think about the or. I had apparently been thinking out loud, because another owl came up to me. He asked me if I was Fyrno. I told him I was. So he told me that the owl whose name I was babbling on about, Jexas, was looking for me. He went into the Shadow Forest not ten minutes ago. I took off almost instantly back into the Shadow Forest. Steele was still in there, and I couldn't have him killing Jexas. Unfortunately, Steele did find him first. He tried to attack Jexas, but luckily Ekwen was still with him and was distracting him. That's when I found them. I gave Jexas his battle claws and told him to get out of there, because Steele was being possessed, and flew at Steele, who was still in phoenix form, to help Ekwen distract him. Jexas remembered what Ekwen had shown him a little while earlier, which was a cave filled with drawings of the many beings whose souls were taken by the devil, done so through deals like the one he made with Draux. He thought how he didn't want to become nothing more than a drawing on that cave wall. He drew strength from this thought, and decided to face Draux. He could sense that he was nearby, and flew off to find him. Draux he wnt looking for, and Draux he soon found. Draux saw Jexas, and then transformed into a giant owl. Then he set the forest on fire. Back at the fight between Ekwen and myself against Steele, Ekwen was getting tired from all the action, and Steele sensed this, so he started to attack Ekwen. He charged at him, but I knocked Ekwen out of the way in time. Now that Steele wasn't being attacked by us, he took it as an opportunity to go find Jexas. I saw smoke and told Ekwen to get out of the forest, and not to worry about Jexas, because I would protect him with my life. But Ekwen refused to. He wouldn't abandon his new friend. I respected his wishes, and together, we took off after Steele. When we caught up to him, he was fighting with Jexas. Steele was tough as a phoenix, but Jexas was smart. He dodged every blow that Steele threw at him. And, when the chance finally presented itself, Jexas imitated a move I liked using. He flew off into the forest with Steele close behind. Ekwen and I followed, but we kept our distance. Steele soon caught up with Jexas. Jexas waited for Steele to get close enough. Once he was, Jexas performed a 360 degree wing tip spin. In doing so, he thwacked Steele hard on the head, sending him plummeting into the ground. The impact knocked him unconscious. Ekwen and I caught up with Jexas and asked him if he was ok. He said he was fine. Then he told us that he needed us to get Steele out of here and to a safer place. He had to end this. So while Ekwen and I transported Steele to safety, Jexas flew up to Draux. He told him that he wanted to make a deal with him. Jexas said that if he could fly through Hagsmire and back in two minutes, then he, Steele, Ekwen, and I would be free. Draux accepted. Then he opened a portal to Hagsmire. Draux, being a devil owl, was capable of opening a portal to Hagsmire. He said for Jexas to get ready, then he said go. Jexas flew fast into the portal. He was now flying through Hagsmire, the owl hell. But as soon as Jexas flew into the portal, he heard a strange noise. He looked behind him to see Draux closing the portal. He turned tail and flew so fast back to the portal that he was almost a blur. He burst through the portal and, with his battle claws, slashed open Draux's throat. Cheating wasn't part of the deal, and Jexas wasn't going to stand for it. Draux's body fell lifeless to the ground, but his spirit returned. He admitted defeat to Jexas, and said that we were all free. Then he disappeared. That's the last anyone ever saw of Draux. Unfortunately, Steele still transforms into a phoenix on occasion. But he doesn't mind. Once Draux's spirit vanished, the influence that possessed Steele disappeared, and he transformed back into an owl. Together, Jexas, Ekwen, and I transported Steele back to the tree. When we got there, Steele was treated for his wounds. We also found out that The Striga had been chased away. Finally, we got a chance to relax.


	17. My Mate

Now that Biscayne and I had time to settle down together, we decided to take our friendship to a romantic level. We fell in love, and soon decided to have some owlets of our own. So we mated. Biscayne layed three eggs. It felt like forever before they hatched, but one night, they finally did. There were two boys and one girl. We named the two boys Aden and Justin. The girl we named Maya. Maya looked a lot like her mother, and Aden looked the most like me. Justin looked like a mix between the two of us. For some reason, Aden was the only one that had streaks of red and orange in his feathers. Aden was also the only of the three that shared our love of fire. But Biscayne and I loved all three of them the same amount nonetheless. They grew up so fast. Soon they were having their first-meat ceremony, and before we knew it, they were already branching. Not long after that, they were flying. Since only Aden was willing to learn, we taught him the safe and proper way to handle fire, as well as how to fly while on fire. That, as well as how to control it and use it properly. I wasn't the only owl who found a mate. Steele also found one. Steele and Kundra, an owl from my team, fell in love and had three owlets of their own.


	18. The Tragedy that is Norex

While Steele and I had families, Jexas was about to meet more of his family. Julia went to him one day and told him to follow her, because she had a surprise for him. She seemed so excited about it. So Jexas followed her. She led him up to a hollow near the top of the tree. When they got there, Julia told Jexas to wait outside the hollow. She went in and he waited. He soon heard voices. After a brief moment, she came out and told him to come in. Jexas entered the hollow, and the first thing he saw was a Burrowing Owl. Julia told Jexas that this owl was their da. Unlike when he met Julia, when at which he freaked out and initially refused to believe she was his sister, he stayed calm, although he had many questions. He asked them, all of which got answers, and the excitement within him built. He soon couldn't contain it anymore, and when he ran out of questions, he said he would be back, because there were some owls he wanted him to meet. Jexas took off to go mind me and Steele. After he left, their da, whose name was Norex, turned to Julia and called her a traitor. Just as he said this, Ekwen flew by. Intrigued by what he heard, he landed on a nearby branch to listen. He heard Norex, first talking, and then yelling, at Julia about her betraying the Pure Ones at the Burning. This greatly shocked him. After Ekwen heard all he was able to, he took off, shocked all to Hagsmire. He decided to keep everything he had heard to himself. Jexas found Steele first. He and Steele then found me, and we flew off back to the hollow where Julia and Norex were at. We entered the hollow and Jexas introduced Norex to us. What had gone on in the hollow between Jexas' leaving it and his return to it seemed to have disappeared. Julia didn't show any signs of her scolding. We talked for awhile. Jexas explained how I had taught him to fly properly back when I first met him after I saved him from Grime. He seemed very grateful of me for this. Steele took a liking to Norex almost instantly. But for me, well, I wasn't so sure about him. All in all, Norex seemed like a nice owl; all most too nice in my opinion. I couldn't help but be suspicious of him. I soon told them that I had to be off to go take care of something. I said my goodbyes and was off. I decided not to tell Steele about my suspicions. He seemed to like Norex a bit too much. But Julia, well, I could tell there was something bothering her. I figured I'd ask her about it later. Right now, though, I needed to talk this over with Biscayne. Steele left soon after I did, and Julia soon after him. Jexas stayed behind. As Julia was flying, she saw Ekwen heading toward her. He wasn't watching where he was flying, though, and almost flew into her. When he regained his senses, he landed on a branch and Julia landed next to him. She asked what was wrong, but he couldn't say it out in the open. So she took him to her hollow, a place that would be much safer for talking privately. He told her everything that he had heard Norex say to Julia in the hollow. She told him more. They talked about other things regarding Norex, and finally decided that they needed to prove that Norex couldn't be trusted. They would need help, but they didn't know who they trust with this. Back in my hollow, Biscayne and I had just finished talking about Norex. I told her I had to go tell Julia about this. Biscayne agreed to watch the owlets while I took care of things. We said goodbye and I left to go find Julia. When I found her, she was with Ekwen. I told Julia we needed to talk. It didn't make much of a difference if Ekwen heard what I had to say to her. I could trust him. First, I asked her about why she seemed upset when Jexas, Steele, and I arrived at Norex's hollow. She stared at her talons in reply. So I asked her if it was because of something Norex had said or done. She was surprised that I was able to figure that out. I told her about the suspicions I had of him. She in turn, told me everything that she and Ekwen knew. She knew she could trust me. She then asked me if I would help them prove that Norex couldn't be trusted. I said I would help. Meanwhile, back at the hollow where Jexas and Norex were in, Norex was about to tell Jexas some shocking news. Norex told Jexas that he had feared for Coryn's life. Jexas asked him why, and the answer was a very disturbing one. Norex told Jexas that he had received news that Nyra was alive. Jexas said he would be back and flew out of the hollow. He headed for Coryn's hollow. When he got there, Coryn was on his way out. But Jexas said that he had to talk to him about the Pure Ones. The mention of the Pure Ones after such a long period of peace was enough to grab Coryn's attention. So they went into his hollow and Jexas told Coryn what Norex had just told him. Coryn told Jexas to go and tell Norex that he would meet with him tomorrow. So Jexas left and flew back to Norex and told him what Coryn said. Norex was glad to hear that Coryn would meet with him; almost too glad. The next day, Coryn and Norex met in Coryn's hollow. Norex told Coryn everything he had told Jexas. Coryn thanked him for the information. Then he called the Band and Steele to his hollow. He told them they were to go on a search and rescue mission; their target: Nyra. He said that he would also accompany them on this mission, and so would the Tracking and Search and Rescue chaws. They left immediately. They were going to Ambala, which was where Norex said he had heard Nyra was last seen. After they left, I flew inconspicuously to Norex's hollow. As I entered, I noticed something blue in the corner. I flew over to further inspect it. I gasped when I realized it was a blue feather, or more specifically, one of the Striga's feathers. The only owls that were in this hollow were Jexas, Julia, Norex Steele, and me. Jexas was no longer a part of the Blue Feather Club, and Julia Steele and I all despised it. That left Norex. Oh sprink! Jexas' da was a turnfeather! Before I had a chance to go tell him though, Norex burst into his hollow and flew straight for me, talons extended. I dodged him just in time. He flew so fast into the hollow that when he hit the wall, his talons dug into it. He was stuck there for a good minute or so before he finally got himself free. Once out of the wall, he charged me again. But I was ready for him. Just before he would've tackled me, I flew over him and landed behind him. Then I charged at him and tackled him into the floor of the hollow. Once he was down, I pinned him so he couldn't get up. Just then, Jexas flew into the hollow. Another owl told him there was a commotion going on in his father's hollow, so he went to check it out. He entered the hollow just in time to see me pin Norex to the floor. Norex saw him and begged him to help. Before Jexas could do anything, I used one of my wings and swiped behind me, sending the blue feather floating through the hollow. Norex almost got up when I did this, so I stomped my talon into his wing, putting small cuts in it. Jexas saw the blue feather, and a look of horror filled his face. It seemed as if he was having a flashback of when he first found out that everything I told him about the Blue Feather Club was true. I yelled his name, and he snapped out of his trance. He then charged at Norex yelling the word traitor at him. I flew off of Norex just in time to avoid being tackled by Jexas, only I got off of him a moment too late. He had just enough time to fly over Jexas and then out of the hollow. Jexas had enough sense to stop himself before hitting the wall, and once he did, he and I chased after Norex. I told Jexas that we needed to get him to fly towards the roots, because Julia and Ekwen were waiting there with a trap. So Jexas and I caught up to Norex and flew on either side of him, guiding him towards the trap. When we got there, Jexas flew off, and I got behind Norex. I then tackled him real hard from behind and sent him spiraling into the entrance of the roots. Once he got himself flying straight again, he turned around and flew back out of the roots. But as he flew out of the roots, I yelled the word now, and Julia and Ekwen dropped a net, which caught Norex out of the air and sent him plummeting towards the ground. Together, Jexas Julia, Ekwen, and I caught the net with Norex in it. We didn't want him dead; well, not yet. We took him to a hollow where he was guarded. Meanwhile, Coryn, the Band, and the two chaws that accompanied them had found the cave where Norex said Nyra was. They soon realized that they had been followed to the cave, but this they had realized a moment too late. They were all already in the cave, and before they could get out, the Striga flew in with a bunch of other owls and started to attack them. The Guardians fought back, though. Even though the Guardians were outnumbered, they never faltered. They fought and fought, and a good number of slashes and blood puddles later, the Guardians cut the Striga's forces down profusely. Soon, the Striga was outnumbered, and he left the battle with what was left of his troops. Now that the battle was over, Coryn decided that it was time to head back to the great tree, for they had been sent into a trap. So home they went, glad that it was all finally over. When they arrived back, Ekwen went to Coryn and told him that Julia, himself, and I had Norex jailed in a hollow. He said that he would be there to interrogate him in five minutes. When Coryn arrived at Norex's cell-hollow, he and I discussed what happened while they were gone. Then he went into the cell-hollow and started asking Norex questions. Norex's wings were bound to his sides so he couldn't fly off and his talons were tied together as well. He was also tied to a post so he couldn't leave the cell-hollow. Unfortunately, Norex wouldn't answer any of the questions. So Coryn left. On his way out, he told me he'd be back.


	19. Steele's and Ekwen's Capture

The next night, he came back and found a disturbing sight. The owl that was to guard Norex through the day and into the next night was unconscious, and Norex was gone. More surprising than that was not just that Norex had disappeared, but that he had escaped his restraints! Coryn immediately summoned Jexas, Julia, Ekwen, and I to his hollow. He told us of this shocking news. As soon as he finished, I told him that another owl had told me that two owls, one a Sooty Owl, the other strongly resembling Norex, were seen flying away from the tree soon before tween time. I would have checked it out, but I had to help out in the infirmary with something. Just then, a Barn Owl burst into Coryn's hollow and said that his friend Gerald, a Sooty Owl, had gone missing. Coryn dismissed all of us but me to go help look for the missing Sooty. They returned shortly, not with Gerald, but with a blue feather. Gerald must've been a member of the Blue Feather Club. He was obviously more than meets the eye, because what had been a well-trusted owl now seemed to be a turnfeather in disguise. It hadn't been long since they left, and there was a possibility that they could be caught. Coryn decided to send Jexas and Steele after them. So Jexas and Steele armed themselves and took off after the traitors. Right after they left, a puffin flew in. His name was Dumpy, and he had urgent news for Coryn. After a long time of talking to Dumpy, he finally managed to get the full story from him. Dumpy had discovered a blue owl and a pure white owl in a cave, and snuck around through the back of the cave to listen to their conversation. He heard talk of eggs, hagsfiends, and other stuff. He left and told it all to a polar bear. She sent him to the Guardians, and now here he was at the end of his tale. Coryn knew what was going to happen soon: war. If war was to come, then preparation was needed. Over at the cave where the Striga and Nyra were hiding in, Norex and Gerald had finally arrived. Gerald calmly told the Striga that they had been followed. Before the Striga had time to get angry, Gerald flew out of the cave. A moment later, he returned with the unconscious bodies of Jexas and Steele. The Striga became eminently pleased with Gerald. Nyra then came forth and told Gerald to torture information out of the two owls. He asked if there was any particular method she wanted to use. She said to use whatever he wished to use. Then, just before he left, she told him to wait. She said that she did have a type of torture in mind. She told him to use the flecks. She told him where they were, and ordered two of her soldiers to help him transport the bodies. They took Jexas and Steele to the location, and then the power of the flecks was unleashed upon them. For reasons unbeknownst to Gerald, Steele was unaffected by the flecks. Jexas, on the other hand, felt it all. He writhed violently in pain. The pain actually shocked Jexas back into consciousness. The effect on Steele was quite the contrary, though. He remained in his sleep-like state. It was probably better that way, too. Either way, the torture continued. Unfortunately, Gerald couldn't get any information out of Jexas. He kept trying, though. While Jexas and Steele were being tortured by the flecks, I was at the tree wondering where in Glaumora they could possibly be and why they weren't back yet. It had been days since they left. I decided it was best to send a search party. I found Digger and Ekwen and asked them if they could do me a favor. I told them it involved Jexas and Steele. Ekwen agreed immediately. Jexas was his best friend, so of course he'd help out. Digger took a little more convincing, but soon he, too, agreed. I told them that Jexas and Steele were sent on a mission to bring back two turnfeathers. They left days ago, and were only a half an hour behind them. They were faster flyers than the turnfeathers, too, so they should've been back by now. Their mission was to go in search of them. Both Digger and Ekwen agreed to take on the mission. They were soon off. After they left, I took off to the library. While I was there, a Snowy Owl approached me. He told me his name was Dr. Percival. He said that he had heard from other owls that I was very good at understanding things, and asked me if I could help him with a problem. I told him that I'd do my best. He then told me what was disturbing him. He said that a bunch of female owls were having nightmares about two black owls. He gave me the description of them that the female owls had given him. The description of the first owl was interesting, but it didn't mean much to me. But when he described the second owl, a spark ignited a long-lost anger within me. I immediately recognized the second owl as Draux the Devil Owl. My rage towards that owl had been strong back when he was first an issue for Jexas, Steele, and I, but the strength of it back then was nothing compared to what it was becoming now. Messing with the life of three owls was one thing, but with the minds of many owls was completely another, and quite uncalled for. I thanked Dr. Percival and told him we'd keep in touch. Then I took off to go tell Julia. This was a terrible thing to find out. However, I wasn't the only owl having problems. Digger and Ekwen were having troubles of their own. A terrible storm had blown in, and they weren't taking it too well. The storm was getting worse by the minute, and it was really screwing Digger and Ekwen over. Lightning started to strike, and while avoiding it, Digger became separated from Ekwen. The lightning stated a raging fire below Digger, and was becoming increasingly difficult to fly over. Because of this, Digger was forced to return to the tree. He couldn't look for Ekwen now. It would have to wait unlit the storm passed. So back to the tree he went. Over where the flecks were, Steele had just awoken. Nyra came to him and tried to question him, but he wouldn't answer. Nyra decided that she would make Steele a proposal. If he worked for her, then she would spare Jexas. Steele pondered the thought. He told Nyra he would get back to her on it. The next night at the tree, I saw Digger back at the tree. He looked like he had been in a terrible fight. Just as I was about to ask him what happened and why he was back so soon, Dr. Percival came up to me. He told me something terrible had happened. I asked him what. He told me that this so called Draux I spoke of had possessed him. He almost killed several owls, but was stopped by Digger as he returned to the tree. This greatly worried me. How many other owls, I wondered, would Draux possess? But I still had other things to worry about, such as preparing for war. I wasn't the only one who needed to prepare for war, though. Nyra needed to as well, and she was still trying to get information out of Jexas and Steele. While Jexas was squirming in pain from the flecks, Steele was being pestered by Nyra. Jexas yelled at Steele not to say a thing. Nyra told Steele that if Jexas didn't shut up, and if he didn't tell her something soon, then she'd kill Jexas. Steele's anger level was getting higher by the second, and as Steele absorbed the words Nyra just said, his anger shot through the roof. The conditions were perfect now for him to transform. He exploded from the restraints that held him to the wall, sending dust and rock everywhere. When it all cleared, Steele was no longer an owl. No, now he was a phoenix. He then charged at Nyra and tackled her out of the cave. She had definitely not expected this, and couldn't react fast enough to Steele's head butt to her chest. Steele stopped outside the cave and Nyra fell towards the forest floor. She soon regained her senses and flew back up to where Steele was. She hovered in front of him. Unfortunately for Nyra, she didn't have battle claws on. This was going to be one Hagsmire of a battle. Steele stared at Nyra for a moment, then he flew straight at her. She flew out of the way just in time. But Steele was ready for this. He wheeled around and flew after her. He flew fast and soon caught up with her. He then flew next to her. Nyra then flew up a bit and moved so she was flying directly over Steele. Then she stuck her talons out and lowered herself to Steele's back. Her talons opened wide for a moment, then clamped down into Steele's back. Steele twisted his body around so fast that the part of his back where Nyra's talons had been was ripped clean out. He roared in pain, and then flew, talons extended, for Nyra's throat. Nyra flew back towards the cave. She made it inside with Steele close behind. Just as she got to the back of the cave, Norex, the Striga, and Gerald flew in and pinned Steele to the floor. Nyra was amazed by Steele's abilities. She told the Striga to bring to her Gaz le Pern. Before Steele could ask who that was, Gerald knocked him unconscious. Back at the tree, Dr. Percival found me and said we needed to talk again. He told me that the female owls were still having the nightmares about Draux and his new minion who I later found out was called Dark Owl. So we decided to gather all of these owls and talk with them about it, and see if we could find out what happened in these dreams, as well as to try and find a way to stop them. I seeked them all out and told them to report to Dr. Percival's office. Within an hour, they all were there. He and I asked them questions, and soon, we came to a conclusion. The owls of their dreams were indubitably Draux and Dark Owl. Their business was unclear, but all the female owls said that on the anniversary of the Burning, the orders would go out. Dr. Percival thought long and hard about this. He decided to continue his investigation further before telling Coryn about it. Over in Ambala, Gaz le Pern, a Red-Tailed Hawk, arrived at the cave. Nyra showed her where Steele was, who was still unconscious and in Phoenix form. Gaz le Pern told Nyra she would dissect Steele to see what allowed him to transform from owl to Phoenix, and began preparing herself to do so. While she prepared, Norex went back to Jexas to try and persuade him to join them and that he still loves him. But Jexas refused and said that Norex wasn't his father. Norex was angered by this and said he was just as stubborn as his mother. Then he and Gerald threw their heads back and laughed. At the tree, Dr. Percival discovered more about the dreams. He found out that the female owls were going to be ordered to kill another owl, but he wasn't sure who yet. Soon, Gaz le Pern was ready to dissect Steele. Steele had awoken a short while ago, and was strapped down pretty well. Just before She could cut into him, though, Ekwen burst into the cave, starling everyone. He used the opportunity to free Steele from his restraints and they took off for the entrance of the cave. Gerald recovered first and blocked their way. Steele, who was still in Phoenix form, flew right through his body, killing him instantly. Realizing that they couldn't take everyone in the cave, they headed back to the tree. Unfortunately, they had to leave Jexas behind, hoping he can handle himself. Nyra was frinked off beyond belief. One last time, Norex went up to Jexas and asked him to join the Pure Ones, and one last time, Jexas denies him the pleasure of a yes coming from his beak. Norex just stormed off.


	20. The War

Steele and Ekwen had been flying for awhile. Soon, they were getting tired, and decided to land in a cave they found. They soon found out that they weren't the only ones in the cave, though. There was a Red-Tailed Hawk, named Drake, who lived in the cave. Drake told them they could stay as long as they needed to. Jexas and Ekwen decided to explore the cave. Way deep in the back, they could hear voices; familiar voices. Steele nearly fell over when he finally figured out it was the voices of Nyra and the Striga. He told Ekwen to listen to it. Soon the voices went away though, for they had left the cave. They then went up to Drake and asked if they could use his cave as a passageway to the Striga's cave. He says he will let them. So off they flew back to the tree. Meanwhile, Nyra had come up with a plan. She told the Striga that she was going to attack the Guardians within the confines of the cave. She told Gaz le Pern to go talk with her husband. His cave connected directly with the one they were in. So off she flew to tell her husband what was going down. Over at the tree, Steele and Ekwen had just arrived. They went straight to Coryn's hollow and told him what had happened. Coryn summoned me to his hollow and updated me on the subject at hand. He told me to take the Fire Flash Brigade to Drake's cave and take care of Nyra and the Striga and save Jexas. Steele said he would go with us, But Coryn told him to stay. Steele protested that they needed someone to show them the way to the cave, but I reminded him that I grew up in Ambala and knew my way around it better than any creature alive. All I needed was a little description of the place and I could get there. So he told me, and then I was off. I gathered my team and told them what we were about to do. We armed ourselves with helmets, battle claws, and fire flash. I grabbed my two short swords and attached them one each to the underside of my wings. Then we were off. As soon as we left, Coryn took his troops and headed for the Beyond. The war was about to happen. We soon showed up outside of Drake's cave. He invited us in and told us to head to the back of the cave. That's where Nyra and the Striga were. It seemed a bit obvious to Biscayne, and she told me so. I said I was thinking the same thing. Suddenly, Drake yelled a command and another hawk flew in the entrance of the cave and closed the doors to the cave. Then a group of thirty Pure Ones flew at us from the back of the cave. Gaz le Pern, the hawk that flew in, blocked the doors of the cave and said that we had to be captured. I pulled out both of my short swords and threw one to Biscayne. She knew what to do. Sota, being an Elf Owl and the smallest of our group, got between Biscayne and me. Biscayne and I flew directly over Sota and struck the swords together, causing sparks to fly everywhere; specifically down; more specifically, on Sota's back. The sparks ignited the Fire Flash and set it ablaze. The rest of us ignited our fire flash off of Sota's. Biscayne gave me back my short sword, and then we all flew into battle. Kundra, Kaya, Simon, Sota, Aronn, Tetsu, Likaru, and Anastasia charged at the Pure Ones, while Biscayne and I went for the hawks. At the sight of owls flying on fire and not burning to death, one third of the Pure Ones went yeep. The rest of them kept flying at the members of my team. They fought for a god while, but my team eventually won. Some of the Pure Ones bled to death, but a lot of them burned to death. Now it was down to the two hawks. Biscayne and I circled Drake and Gaz le Pern. Drake decided that Biscayne was an easier target, and he charged her. I figured one of the hawks would do this, so I leaped at Drake and slashed at his back with my swords. Gaz le Pern attacked me at the same moment that I attacked her husband. Biscayne got in the way of Gaz le Pern as she went to swipe at me with her talon and Biscayne locked talons with her. Then she tightly clamped her battle claw clad talon tighter onto Gaz le Pern's, cutting into it. Then she moved it in a few random motions to throw Gaz le Pern off balance, and finally jerked it to the side and let go, throwing Gaz le Pern into a wall. If the hit to the wall didn't knock her unconscious, then the pieces she broke off on her impact with it hitting her in the head definitely did. After I slashed Drake's back, he wheeled around and thwacked me hard with his wing, sending me staggering back. I regained my composition, and then flew at him and head-butted him in the chest, hurting him twice as bad as he had hurt me. I had hit him so hard that he fell to the floor. Just as he picked himself up, I knocked him back down. Then I crossed my swords over his throat and told him that if he didn't give up, then he'd lose his head. At that, he immediately surrendered. I told him to pick his mate up off of the floor and follow us outside the cave; if he tried to fly away, well, he wouldn't get far. We all left the cave and got into a formation that would allow us to transport creatures within it without them having to use a single muscle. We left and headed to the Beyond. That's where the war was happening. Over at the battlefield, Nyra had just arrived and said that if the Guardians didn't give up, then she would kill Jexas, who she had brought as a hostage, and the Fire Flash Brigade. Before Coryn could answer, my team and I flew into the Beyond with our hostages. I yelled to Nyra that her plan to capture us had failed. There was a series of cheers that came from the rest of the Guardians at the sound of this news. Nyra became furious, and she and the Striga took off in retreat to another part of the battlefield with Jexas still as their hostage. Ekwen was at the battlefield, and saw Nyra carrying Jexas away. He took off in hot pursuit after them. While Ekwen chased after them, Flana found me. She said that Liliana was here and has been trying to kill her since she first spotted her. I told her to show me where Liliana was. She showed me, and then we went back to where my team was. I called Biscayne over to me. I told what we were going to do. After I told her, I flew over to the rest of my team and told them that I needed them to guard the two hawks while Biscayne and I took care of some old business. They said they'd take care of it, and then Biscayne, Flana, and I were off. We showed Biscayne where Liliana was. She was the leader of a group of Pure One troops. I told Flana that Biscayne and I would draw her troops out. Flana was going to be the one to deliver the final blow to Liliana. I gave Biscayne one of my short swords and told her she might need it. She took it, and then we split up. Liliana and her troops were taking refuge behind a huge chain of boulders. Biscayne flew around the left side of them, I flew around the right side, and Flana flew over the top. Flana landed and waited. She needed to find the opportune moment to take the kill. Once I was around the boulders, I waited at the edge for Biscayne to make it around her side. Once she was in sight, I signaled for her to wait. We were going to scare Liliana's troops out of their hiding spot. But first, we had to get up to Flana. I signaled for Biscayne to go, and we flew diagonally across the opening between the two outside boulders, landing at the inside edges of the boulder from the opposite side that we came from. Once there, I gave the signal to fly up to Flana. We flew sideways, scaling our way up the boulders. We were so quiet when we did this that none of Liliana's troops noticed us. We reached the top in no time at all, both of us landing on either side of Flana. I told her we were going to fly straight into the owls down there, which would startle them. Then we would take out as many as we could, leaving few to get in her way. I told Biscayne we would need to ignite our fire flash when we got down there, and we would need to do it with the short swords off the boulders. They were made with flint stone, something I had found out long ago when I worked with a rogue smith in the Beyond, so it would spark enough to set ablaze the fire flash. I told Flana that once she had a clear shot, she needed to take it. She said she would be watching for it. Then Biscayne and I took off. We flew straight down the boulders. Once we were three-fourths of the way down, I signaled to Biscayne, and we struck the short swords to the boulders. They struck patches of flint stone on the surface of the boulders and sparks flew everywhere. They reached our backs and ignited the fire flash. Now that we were close to the ground, we arced up so that we went from a rapid vertical descent to a fast horizontal path of flight. We flew through the groups of Pure Ones slashing at some with the short swords, and doing barrel rolls through others, which set them on fire. We had killed off most of them before Liliana had realized what was going on. When she did though, she chased after us. Then, much to her surprise, I stopped in mid-flight and swung around at her with my short sword. She started to backstroke to avoid getting filleted open. By this time, what was left of her troops had flown away and abandoned her. Biscayne flew to my side and handed me my other short sword. Instead of sheathing it though, I threw it in Flana's direction. It stuck in the boulder just below Flana's talons. A confused look came across her face, but she soon figured out what it was for. She was going to kill Liliana, but she didn't actually think about how she was going to go about doing it. Now she had a method. She pulled the short sword out of the boulder and waited. Meanwhile, I took another swing at Liliana, but she decided to counter my attack. She grabbed it with her battle claws and pulled it from mine. Then she threw it. It flew through the air and landed in the dirt. Now it was her against Biscayne and me. It was a fast end. I signaled to Flana to get ready. She soared into the air above us and circled. Then Biscayne and I faked a number of attacks on Liliana. Soon, we pinned her to the ground. I yelled to Flana, and she went into a kill spiral. When she was close enough, she stuck out the short sword, and it plunged into Liliana's body, going through her gizzard, and then out the other side. She took one final breath, and then she was gone. After a moment of silence, I pulled the short sword from her and then retrieved the other. I sheathed them both, and then we flew back to the rest of the Fire Flash Brigade. I left Kaya, Anastasia, and Likaru to guard the hawks, and took the rest of the team with me back into battle. Norex dodged again, but Jexas moved in the same direction that Norex dodged in, and slashed his chest up. The cuts weren't that deep, but they still hurt Norex enough to make him stagger in flight. He started to lose altitude. Just then, Julia and Sarge showed up. They saw Norex falling and his blood spurting everywhere. Then they saw Jexas go into a kill spiral towards Norex. Norex tried to avoid getting hit, but didn't completely succeed. Lucky for him, he was able to get his body out of the way. Unfortunately, his wing wasn't so lucky. Jexas tackled Norex's wing at so incredible a speed that he had broken Norex's wing in multiple places. Norex spun uncontrollably, while still falling, until he crash-landed into the ground. The blow didn't kill him, but it knocked him senseless. Jexas waited for him to get up. He wanted Norex to be conscious and well aware of what was happening when he killed him. Norex regained himself and begged Jexas to let him live. Jexas thought for a moment, but decided he's still going to kill him. Before he could though, Julia stopped him. She told him that no matter how he dies, there'll always be a special place in Hagsmire waiting for him. Jexas thought long and hard, and finally left with Julia and Sarge and went back to the rest of the battle. Norex, in the meantime, limped away to a cave and hid there. But he got lost in the cave, and his blood, which was trailing everywhere, was attracting those that dwelled in the cave: vampire bats. The bats swarmed Norex and ate him alive, leaving nothing left of him but the echoes of his screams. My team and I proved to be very successful in this war. Multiple times we flew into the masses of Pure Ones. A good number of them went yeep. For those who didn't, we split up and flew barrel rolls into them, tackling most, and setting on fire many others. By the end of the war, my team held the record for most kills. Flana had done a great deal of damage to the Pure Ones after she killed Liliana. She went and found an old friend of hers that was still with the Pure Ones. His name was Jet, and he was the one who told Flana to leave the Pure Ones. They had been keeping in contact secretly over the last few moon cycles, planning how they were going to take down some of the Pure Ones. They came up with the perfect plan, and were finally about to put it to action. They met up, and reviewed the plan. Then Jet gathered his troops and told them to follow him. They were going to chase Flana and get her for killing Liliana. The chase went on for awhile, and soon they approached a ring of rocks. There, unbeknownst to Jet's troops, waited two dozen wolves, led by the first friend I ever made in the Beyond, a wolf named Dryden. He was from the MacHeath Clan, but he wasn't at all a MacHeath. He wasn't brutal like them; he was much gentler, although he often broke up fights between other wolves and stopped a lot of the stupidity and some of the brutality that was the MacHeaths. When Flana got to the back edges of the ring, she hovered and waited. Jet and his troops arrived soon after, and once they were all in the ring, Flana flew to the ground and landed. Jet stayed above and told his troops to attack, and they all flew at her. There were about a hundred Pure Ones that now flew towards Flana. When they were close enough to the ground, Flana yelled a command, and the wolves all sprung from their hiding place and started their slaughter fest of the Pure Ones. It wasn't long before they were all dead. Once their plan was finished, Flana, Jet, and the wolves returned to where the rest of the battle was happening. As for Steele, well, Steele was just flat out kicking tail feathers in Phoenix form. It wasn't long before it was noticed that Coryn had disappeared. When Coryn was seen flying into one of the volcanoes, the battlefield got real quiet. Nyra, Soren, and the Striga had followed him into it. After a moment, Soren and Coryn flew out. It looked almost as if Coryn's wing was dangling from the rest of his body. Then suddenly, it fell off, and Coryn plummeted towards the ground. He hit with a thud, and the Band and some other owls surrounded him. They tried to tell him that they would save him, but after a moment, it didn't matter. He died. It was so quiet in the Beyond that if one dropped a pin, it could've been heard. Then, after a moment, what was left of the Pure Ones retreated. The Guardians had won. Then, right then and there, Soren was made the new king. We had Coryn's Final Ceremony in the Beyond, and then left for home. As we flew home, two eagles, Zan and Streak, flew by talking about some war. Jexas told them that the war was over. They replied by telling him that a new one was about to begin. Then they flew off, leaving Jexas to ponder this. I had overheard, and told Biscayne to fly point, which was where I was flying, said I'd be right back, and flew after Zan and Streak. When I caught up, I asked them if they knew who was starting said new war. They told me that all they knew was that it was some psychotic eagle that had his eye ripped out by an owl long ago. I thanked them and flew back to my point position. I would discuss this with Jexas, Biscayne, and Steele later. Now was not the time for dreadful news; oh no, now was the time for celebration.


	21. A Note From the Author

To the readers of my story:

The first twenty chapters are over the fifteen books of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole book series (a.k.a. the Written Story). The rest of my story will cover the rest of my (Fyrno's) life (and all other characters) _after_ the War of the Ember. It is the Unwritten Story.


	22. The Start of a New War

There'd been a long period of peace throughout the Six Kingdoms. Jet, a Pure One turnfeather, came to live at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. He and Flana became mates. The two Red-Tailed Hawks that my team took captive, Gaz le Pern and her husband Drake, were taken to the tree. They were still our prisoners, but they were treated well. Steele, the Band, the Fire Flash Brigade, the Parliament, and the new king, Soren, had been informed about Jexas' and my knowledge of One Eyed Thomas' plans to start a new war. Luckily though, nothing had happened since we were informed by Zan and Streak of the war to come. The Search and Rescue chaw, which I had been invited into, went on several missions and eventually found One-Eyed Thomas. He was hiding in the St. Aegolius Canyons. What we found with him shocked us to no end. He had an army consisting of bats, kraal eagles, and a bunch of owls that were easily recognized as Pure One and St. Aggies members. We raced back to the tree to tell Soren. When we got to the tree, Soren was waiting for us. We entered his hollow and told him what we saw. Our discovery confirmed what Zan and Streak had told Jexas and me. Soren sent out the order to prepare for battle. He wasn't saying it was going to happen, but just that it was a possibility. Once the meeting was over, Jexas, who was a part of the Search and Rescue chaw, went to go see Dr Percival. He asked him about the incident with the females. Dr. Percival said he didn't know yet what Draux was up to. Jexas told him he thought he knew. Dr. Percival asked what. Jexas' response was but one word: revenge. Dr. Percival seemed confused, so Jexas left and came back a little while later with a book that I had written on the final stand between him and Draux. Then Jexas told him to find him when he was done reading, and left. Meanwhile, Dark Owl, one of Draux's new minions, arrived at an old church in the Shadow Forest. He drew with his wing tips the markings of the devil on the floor. Suddenly, a portal opened, and from it emerged Draux the Devil Owl in his true form, a full blown Hagsfiend. Draux asked Dark Owl what all went on in his absence. Dark Owl filled him in, and then Draux said it was almost time to set his plans into action. Back at the tree, Soren had just received a message. It said that he was to meet with the leaders, as the message called them, in three days time. Three days later, Soren left, taking Jexas, Steele, and I with him. When we arrived at the meeting place, which was a cave north of Broken Talon Point, the so-called "Leaders" were already arguing. A Bald Eagle named Captain Yren was saying how he and the rest the eagles with him didn't support One-Eyed Thomas. A Peregrine Falcon named General Jerex kept insisting that he was lying and continuously said that the disappearance of their things was all the eagles' fault. This matter was explained to us by Captain Yren after the meeting. It was an ongoing feud between the eagles and the falcons. Soren, Jexas, Steele, and I listened to this. I was about to step forward and say something, but before any words left my beak, a third leader, a vulture named Prime Minister Aerex, stepped forward and said there was an easier way to settle this: negotiation. Aerex said he would meet with One-Eyed Thomas and see what he could do. Soren was greatly shocked by this notion, and became increasingly suspicious of One-Eyed Thomas, and so did I. Then Prime Minster Aerex and his followers flew off. General Jerex looked on after Prime Minister Aerex, then at us, and then flew off without saying goodbye. Captain Yren came over to us and thanked Soren for coming. He told us that he didn't entirely trust Prime Minister Aerex, and he feared what was about to happen. We talked for a little longer, then Captain Yren left with his followers. Soren, Jexas, Steele, and I talked about what was on all of our minds, then we, too, left the cave and went back home. Off in the St. Aegolius canyonlands, Prime Minister Aerex landed on a cliff at the outskirts where he was greeted by two Burrowing Owls, both working for One-Eyed Thomas, and both ex-Pure Ones. They asked him what his business was. He told them that he wanted to speak with One-Eyed Thomas about something. They took him to One-Eyed Thomas' lair and told him to wait outside. He waited, and soon they came back out saying that One-Eyed Thomas didn't want to be bothered. Aerex thought for a moment, then told the two owls to go tell him it had to do with the gain of power. They went back in and came back out a moment later and told him to follow them. He did so, and soon they entered a large room inside the cave. In the middle was a throne. Sitting in said throne was One-Eyed Thomas. He told Aerex to state his business. Aerex introduced himself as Prime Minister Aerex of the vultures. He said he knew of a plan that was being made to overthrow One-Eyed Thomas. This caught the eagle's attention instantly. He listened closely, and when Aerex was done, One-Eyed Thomas asked him where he got this information. Aerex told him that he was at the meeting where the plan was made, but was taking no part in it. One-Eyed Thomas, a bit too confident for his own good, told Aerex not to worry, and that he could handle it. Aerex, after a few moments, managed to convince One-Eyed Thomas that against the three species: owls, eagles, and falcons, he and his army wouldn't stand a chance. Then Aerex told him that the falcons had their doubts. With a lot of persuasion, they could be convinced to join forces with the vultures, and then it turn form an alliance with One-Eyed Thomas. Aerex then asked him how he lost his eye. One-Eyed Thomas told him that a Spotted Eagle Owl with red and orange streaked through his feathers did it to him. Aerex said that that very same owl was at the meeting with the other owls. One-Eyed Thomas was momentarily shocked. Aerex told him that if he wanted revenge on that owl, then the vultures could help, but they would need to form an alliance first. One-Eyed Thomas pondered this for several moments, but soon he agreed to it. He and Aerex started to formulate a plan. Over at the great tree, Steele was pacing around. He didn't have much to do at the moment, and was becoming increasingly bored. He was so bored that he almost missed an odd sight. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a vulture land on a branch of the tree and start looking around. Steele approached the vulture and asked him what he was doing. The vulture, whose name was Scratch, said he came to see the le Perns. He said he was a friend and wanted to see them. Steele looked at the vulture with a look of confusion and disturbance, but agreed to take him to them. They flew to the le Perns' cell, where Twilight was standing guard. Scratch approached their cell and began talking to them in a different language, one that nobody had ever heard before. Then suddenly, Scratch pulled out two swords and attacked Steele and Twilight. They fought back, but while they were fighting, Gaz and Drake escaped. Scratch tried to escape with them, but Twilight brought him down before he could. Steele left and came back moments later with Soren. Twilight had knocked out Scratch while Steele was off getting Soren, and Scratch was now in the cell that only a brief time before held the le Perns. As Soren approached the cell, Scratch was starting to stir. He stayed outside, but sent Twilight in to interrogate him. Unfortunately, the only thing that he would say was that it was all part of the plan. They soon left, and Tetsu went on guard. If this dumb bird tried anything, Tetsu would take care of it. Meanwhile, The le Perns had arrived at One-Eyed Thomas' lair. Aerex welcomed them and caught them up on what they had missed in their absence. Then he told them he had a mission for them, and if they completed it, he would give them one hundred pieces of pure gold. They gladly accepted the mission. Aerex told them they were to go kill Princess Darla of the Peregrine Falcons and frame the Guardians for it. They said they would leave immediately. Before they could leave though, One-Eyed Thomas told them to wait. Then he asked Drake to wait outside. He wanted to talk to Gaz alone. So Drake left and waited. A moment later, Gaz walked out. When Drake asked her what he told her, she said she couldn't say. Then they left for the Princess' palace. Back at the tree, Scratch was still refusing to talk. Finally, Soren decided to try something. He walked into Scratch's cell and told him that he knew that Scratch was working for Prime Minister Aerex. He got a response this time, but not at all one he expected. Scratch jumped up and ran into the furnace. He said that the truth would die with him, and then burned to death. Soren left and went back to his hollow to wait for Digger, who had left as soon as the le Perns escaped. A few hours later, he returned. He told Soren that the le Perns were on their way to the palace of Princess Darla of the Falcons. Soren summoned me to his hollow. He told me he was going to send Digger and I after the le Perns. If we found them, we were to recapture them. We agreed, and then were off. Over at the falcons' palace, Gaz and Drake had just arrived. Drake had finally given up on trying to get Gaz to tell him what One-Eyed Thomas had told her. Suddenly, Gaz told him she would tell him what he said. Before she did though, she pulled out a knife and stabbed Drake in the neck. As he died, she told him that he told her to kill Drake; that if she did so, he would pay her twice as much. Then Drake was dead. Gaz took off and headed for the Princess' room, forgetting his body. She flew to the highest part of the castle. When she got there, she overheard General Jerex talking to Darla. Darla was trying to convince Jerex to forget about the feud with the eagles. Jerex kept saying that she would never understand. Then he walked out of her room. Just outside the palace, Digger and I arrived at the coast. The first thing we saw was Drake's lifeless body. As soon as we saw that, we knew Gaz was here. Suddenly, we heard a scream, and rushed to the source. As soon as Jerex was gone, Gaz burst into Darla's room and locked the doors. Then she pulled out her knife and started towards Darla. Darla did her best to avoid her, but it was no use. Gaz pinned her, and then stabbed her in the chest. Suddenly, I came exploding through the window. Unfortunately, I cut my wing in the process. Gaz grabbed her knife, but Digger followed me in through the now-broken window and knocked it out of her claws. A noise occurred at the door, and while Digger was distracted, Gaz took off out the window. After she was gone, Jerex burst through the doors to see Princess Darla dying on the floor and Digger holding the bloody knife. Jerex, horrified by the sight before him, flew over to his daughter. She tried to speak, but couldn't. She had lost too much blood, and soon died. Jerex turned to Digger with an infuriated look in his eyes, and Digger went yeep. Jerex lashed out at him, but before he could make contact, I tackled Digger out the way, picked him up, and flew out the window. I didn't know how far we'd get with my wing all cut up from breaking through the window, but Hagsmire, I was going to try and save us. Jerex let us flee for the time being and mourned for his lost daughter. They had a Final Ceremony for her. Meanwhile, Gaz arrived back at One-Eyed Thomas' lair. She flew up to Prime Minister Aerex and demanded her payment. Since she had killed her husband, she was supposed to be paid double. Contrary to her demand, Aerex told her that they had no gold; well, at least none to give her. One-Eyed Thomas then stepped forward and told her that he only wanted her to kill Drake to make it easier. She asked him what it was that was made easier by her killing her husband. Then suddenly, his pet bat, Ed, came flying from the ceiling and bit into her throat. One-Eyed Thomas then told her that it made killing her easier. Ed had bitten through a vital artery, and soon Gaz was dead. Then he laughed and told Ed to enjoy his meal.


	23. The First Attack

Digger and I barely made it back to the great tree. As soon as we crash-landed, we were rushed to the infirmary. My wing wasn't damaged that bad, but by flying all the way home, I had messed it up more, and it needed time to heal. Digger wasn't hurt that bad, either. Although he had finished healing before I did, he wouldn't leave the infirmary without me. Once my wing was healed and I could fly again, Digger and I left. The first place we went was to Soren's hollow. We told him what had happened at the Palace of Falcons. He was greatly shocked by our news. Immediately, he wrote up and sent out a letter that said for all the leaders to meet to discuss this and know what really happened. For my own safety, Soren said he wasn't going to take me with him this time. I told him I could handle a few falcons, but he said that there might be much more than a few falcons there. So it was settled: I wasn't going; but then again, he wasn't taking anyone with him. Three days later, Soren left. When he arrived, he addressed the leaders and told them what Digger and I had told him. Yren believed him, but Jerex couldn't even look at him. Aerex then stepped forward and said that what he was told was all a load of racdrops. Then he told Soren that he was no better than Kludd for not punishing the accused owls for not only killing Princess Darla, but also for lying about it. Soren was greatly hurt by this comment. He didn't bother saying anything about Drake's body still being where it was, because he figured that Aerex had probably disposed of it by then. Ironically though, he hadn't. Aerex didn't even know that Gaz hadn't disposed of her husband's body; but I digress. After making his comment, Aerex took off with Jerex following close behind. To Soren's surprise, Jerex had actually come to the meeting alone. Yren then walked over to Soren and said that he shouldn't pay Aerex any heed. Aerex was just a stuck up, ugly pile of feathers who always had to have his way. What he was up to now, Yren hadn't a clue, but if it was a war he was bringing to the table, then Yren would back up the Guardians one hundred percent. Feeling somewhat better from Yren's words, Soren thanked him. Then the two birds took off for two different destinations: Yren to Everen, King of the Eagles, and Soren to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree; both to prepare for war. Soon, Aerex and Jerex arrived at the St. Aegolius Canyons. Not long after that, they were standing in front of the entrance to One-Eyed Thomas' lair. Aerex looked at Jerex and could see the doubt in his face, so he turned to him and told him to think of it as an extra benefit. Then the doors opened, and inside was One-Eyed Thomas, waiting for him. He looked at Jerex and said that they needed to talk. Jerex slowly entered the room, his head held low to the ground. Aerex followed him in, and the doors closed behind them. When Jerex finally left, a new alliance had been formed between the falcons, the vultures, and One-Eyed Thomas. Over at the Eagle's Fortress, Yren had just alighted down outside of King Everen's throne room. He knocked on the door with his talon and waited to be called in. When the call came, he entered. King Everen asked Yren how the meeting went, and Yren informed the king about what had happened. The king thought what he was just told a few times over in his head, and then called for his army to prepare for war. Before Yren left, King Everen told him that he would be the one in charge of coordinating with the owls. Yren thanked him for that, for he liked the owls. Then he left to send out the call to prepare for war. At the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, Soren had just gotten back and had arranged for all the Guardians to gather in the great hollow to discuss the events that were to unfold over the next while. Once all were present, He said that the time of war was once again upon them. They were going to make the next move by attacking One-Eyed Thomas' lair. Before they could though, they needed a plan. Soren asked if anyone had any ideas. Many were suggested, but most had flaws. Then Steele piped up with an idea that was perfect. He said that we should send some owls above the canyons to distract the enemy at the top, while another group of owls attacks from the bottom. Soren agreed to use that idea. He then looked over the group of Guardians before him and chose General Waxer, Private Lyle, Jexas, and Steele to attack from below. After that, he said that the Fire Flash Brigade would attack from above. Unbeknownst to the Guardians, a bat had been waiting in the outer branches of the tree, listening to them plan. The bat left once he heard the plan and returned to One-Eyed Thomas' lair. When it got there, it handed him a note that had the Guardian's plans written on it. He read it, and then started laughing maniacally. Then he flew out to a perch where Jerex, Aerex, and his pet Ed were. He landed next to them and looked out over his army. Then he said that now was the time to strike. Now is the beginning of a new era: the One-Eyed Era. After the meeting, Jexas and I walked up to Steele and asked him how he had come up with such a plan. Steele said he would explain back at his hollow. So off we went. Never could we have been less prepared for what we would find when we entered Steele's hollow. We walked in and Jexas and I both went yeep at the sight before us. Standing in our wake was none other than Kludd. Jexas fainted soon after, but I walked closer. I poked at him with my wing, but he swatted it away. I just stared at him, and then slowly turned my gaze to Steele. The expression on my face read: How in Hagsmire did you do this? He read my face like a book, but said I'd have to wait for Jexas to regain consciousness first. Instead of waiting, I walked over to Jexas and kicked him. He awoke hollering in pain. I apologized, but told him it was necessary. I told him that Steele was going to tell us how this living thing of a dead owl happened to come to be. Jexas forgot his pain and stared wondrously at Steele. Steele said that first he would start by saying how he came up with the battle strategy. He said that he had just heard about what had happened to the princess and decided something. To stop a fire, you need one next to it; saps the oxygen, snuffs the flame. This was a really big fire. They were going to need a really big bang. Then he remembered something. He had immediately left for Ambala to get a special ingredient: Black Amethyst. Black Amethyst was a rare crystal needed for a necromancy spell he had learned while still under Draux's control. Once he found it, he could do what was needed. He went back to the dead body of a Barn Owl that he'd found on his way to the Crystal Patches. He could tell it had been mobbed to death. He then transported the body to an abandoned church. Now he needed a body to turn it into. Nyra and Grime were out of the question. Slime was not a good choice either. That left Kludd. Then he remembered something. He closed his talons, and when he opened them, he had a Barn Owl feather; one of Soren's to be exact. He placed it in the beak of the body lying before him, and then transformed into Phoenix form. He crushed the Black Amethyst in his talons and sprinkled it over the body. Then he waited for the moon to pierce the clouds. When it finally did, its light shined directly on the body. Steele then cast onto the body a bit of dark magen. The body then began to stir. It was a slow process, and Steele once again transported the body, this time to his hollow. Then he cast a spell on the hollow so that the body couldn't leave by its own will. Once the transformation was complete, Kludd had come back to life. Jexas just stood there, stunned. I, on the other hand, was rather curious. I asked Steele why he brought him back. Steele said that none of them knew how to navigate the depths of St. Aggies. That's what Kludd was there for, and he didn't have a choice but to cooperate with him. If he tried anything funny, then all Steele would have to do was say a few words, and Kludd would be reduced to nothing more than the dead Barn Owl that Steele had started out with. I then asked him if Soren should know about this. The word NO immediately exploded from Jexas' beak. Then he said that Soren must never know about this. We all agreed not to say anything. Then Jexas asked Steele whose team he'd be on. Steele said their team; the one going below. He needed to keep an eye on him at all times. Jexas told us that he would tell Waxer and Lyle, but they would need to see him, too. Steele said to go get them now. Jexas left and came back with Waxer and Lyle a moment later. They agreed to work with him and not to tell Soren with little fuss. Then they left. Steele said that he would be sneak out to a meeting point early, and the rest of the team would meet him there with Kludd. I told Steel my team needed to know about this as well. They were showed and sworn to secrecy, and then we all left. At the St. Aegolius Canyons, One-Eyed Thomas was preparing for battle. Suddenly a bat flew to him and told him something in his ear. Enraged, he flew to Aerex and started yelling at him. Aerex asked him what in Hagsmire his problem was. One-Eyed Thomas told him that he had been informed about some vultures guarding an entrance to the canyon grounds. He said he never told Aerex could. Then he said that he made the orders, not Aerex. After he was done yelling, he grabbed Aerex by the throat and choked him, letting go a moment later. He told Aerex to let that be a warning. Aerex stood up, but One-Eyed Thomas knocked him back down and held him down with a foot. Then he bent over Aerex and said that he was like a toy, and like a toy, he's use him until he broke him. Finally done with him, One-Eyed Thomas flew away. Once he was gone, Aerex muttered that One-Eyed Thomas couldn't break him if he broke One-Eyed Thomas first.


	24. Trapped

On the day before the mission, Steele cloaked Kludd in a hooded cape and flew him out to Cape Glaux. They waited there until night. When night finally came, my team and the rest of Steele's team headed off for Cape Glaux. We met up with Steele and Kludd and then headed southwest to the St. Aegolius Canyons. It took us two days and two nights to get there. Over our flight, we got to know Waxer and Lyle better. Waxer was very talkative and a little cocky, but kind at heart. Lyle, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He was the shy and quiet type. While we were flying to the canyons, the One-Eyed Renegade, which was the name One-Eyed Thomas chose for his army, was assembling before him. Once all were present, he started ranting to his soldiers about how he was going to crush the Guardians. Jerex, who was in the crowd, was disgusted by what he was hearing. Far off in a corner, shielded by the shadows, Aerex threw a bone to Ed, One-Eyed Thomas' pet. Then he said that there'd be more where that came from if he did what Aerex told him. Ed devoured the bone and obeyed. Once One-Eyed Thomas was done ranting, he summoned Aerex to him. He told Aerex that he would be in charge of the Bat Squad. Aerex smiled and turned to Ed and told him that he knew what to do. Ed nodded and left. Pretty soon, Steele's team and my team arrived at the outskirts of St. Aggies. We wished each other luck, and then went our separate ways; Steele and his team down to the inner tunnels and passageways, and me and my team to the sky above. They were going to attack from the inside, while my team was going to cause the distraction. As my team flew, Yren and a group of eagles met up with us. I greeted Yren and told him what was going down. He asked if he could help in any way, and I told him that right now it'd be best if he and his team helped us with the distraction. He said he'd do what he could. Our two teams flew side-by-side all the way to One-Eyed Thomas' lair. Down in the tunnels, Steele's team had reached a fork. Steele turned to Kludd and asked him which way to go. He said they needed to go left. Lyle piped up and said that he didn't trust Kludd. He suggests they split up and explore both tunnels. Waxer said that Steele should go with him, while the other three go together. Lyle could be trusted to keep Kludd in line. So they split up; Steele and Waxer went left, and Jexas, Lyle, and Kludd went right. After a few moments of going down the right tunnel, out of nowhere, Kludd attacked Jexas. Jexas blocked his attack and retaliated. Lyle suddenly grabbed a stone and chucked it at Kludd. It hit him on the back of the head and knocked him unconscious. Before Jexas could thank him, Lyle had grabbed the rock and smashed it over Jexas' head, knocking him unconscious, too. Up in the sky, Yren, I, and our teams showed up at One-Eyed Thomas' lair, and were greatly surprised to find no bats. We split up and searched around for the enemy. Suddenly, a bunch of owls started to swarm from a cave. I yelled for Yren and said the enemy was here. I told him to hold off the enemy while I went to find One-Eyed Thomas. I left my team to fight with them and took off for his lair. Back underground, Steele and Waxer arrived at a dead end. Since they couldn't continue forward, they decided to head back. As they walked back, Steele turned to Waxer and asked him why he wanted Kludd to go with Lyle and Jexas. Waxer explained to him that Lyle was like a son to him, and is the most trustworthy owl he knows. Suddenly, One-Eyed Thomas appeared and said that that was very touching. Then he said to Waxer that it was too bad that he didn't know the truth. As he said this, Lyle appeared next to him. Then many owls appeared, and One-Eyed Thomas yelled for them to attack. As the owls started to swarm, I arrived at the scene and told my team to help Steele and Waxer. I flew to Steele and asked him where the rest of his team was at. He said they went down the other tunnel. I told him I was going to find him. He offered to come with, but I told him he needed to take care of these enemies. Then I took off back down the tunnel to the fork. As soon as One-Eyed Thomas saw the Fire Flash Brigade, he took off. He knew I was near. Waxer, whose eyes were filled with tears, grabbed Lyle by the throat. Lyle yelled for One-Eyed Thomas to help him, but all One-Eyed Thomas did was fly past him and tell him that he should have chosen sides wisely. Then Waxer ripped his throat out. Up above, Yren was greatly surprised by all of the troops One-Eyed Thomas had. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jerex came flying towards him, talons extended. Yren dodged them just in time. Jerex flew back around and swiped at him again. Yren backstroked to avoid him. As Jerex missed his attack, Yren slashed at him. Jerex lost his balance and started to fall towards the ground. He soon regained it, and flew back towards Yren. Then he started to circle him. Yren asked him why he was doing this. Jerex looked at him as if he should know the answer. Yren just kept staring at him with the most dumbfounded look ever. Jerex asked Yren if he wanted to know why he was doing this. Then, before Yren could, Jerex answered his own question. He said he was doing this because the eagles didn't help the falcons when One-Eyed Thomas attacked them many years ago. Yren thought this over, and told Jerex he surrendered. Then he told him that he could kill him. But before he did, Yren told him that the Guardians were innocent. Jerex stared at him for a long time, and then flew away. Soon after, Steele, Waxer, and the Fire Flash Brigade (minus me) flew out of the tunnels. Biscayne flew up to Yren and told him that they had finished off One-Eyed Thomas' army underground, but that Fyrno and Jexas were still underground. Yren said that if they weren't back by the time that the battle in the sky had ended, then they needed to go look for them. Biscayne agreed, and then took the Fire Flash Brigade back into battle. Down underground, Jexas and Kludd were awakening. Kludd regained his senses before Jexas did, and he pinned him to the ground. Jexas flipped him off of him, but Kludd pinned him again, this time against the wall. Just then, I flew in. Kludd tried to flee from a different tunnel, but One-Eyed Thomas flew in through it. Kludd rocketed past him and accidentally knocked over a boulder in the process. Suddenly, water started to fill the passage. Kludd escaped through the tunnel to safety. A log came through and Jexas grabbed on to it. The last thing he remembered seeing was One-Eyed Thomas and I fighting underwater. Then he lost consciousness. Under the water, we sparred for a bit, but it ended when I rammed One-Eyed Thomas into a wall. He smacked his head and lost consciousness. I didn't have time to escape though, because a chunk of rock came flying through the water and hit me in the back of the head, causing me to have the same fate at One-Eyed Thomas. I soon awoke, hours later, to find One-Eyed Thomas still knocked out next to me. I got up and looked around and noticed we weren't in the same cave as before. The current must've swept us farther down the tunnel. Suddenly, One-Eyed Thomas stated to stir. He got up and started yelling at me. He called me all sorts of names, blaming me for what happened to him. When he realized I wasn't paying any attention to him, he charged at me. I jumped in the air and spun in a circle, thwacking him in the face with my wing. He went spiraling backwards and landed on his back. I flew to him and pinned him to the ground. I told him that he needed to listen and listen well. I wasn't going to take any of his crap. I gave him two options: he could either shut it, or shove it. Either he could shut his mouth and keep his thoughts to himself, or he could shove it, and I'd rip him a new one right then and there. Knowing I could do it too, he decided to shut it. Then I said that we weren't in the same cave that we were in before the flood. Whether either of us liked it or not, we would have to work together to get out of there. Once we were out, we could go back to trying to kill each other. For the time being though, we would need to work as a team. After a long moment of thinking it over, he finally agreed. I got off of him and he got back on his talons. Then we flew down the tunnel that we thought we were washed down. Back at the great tree, Waxer, Steele, and the rest of my team had just gotten back. Soren greeted them. He asked them how it went. Biscayne said it went well... for the most part. He questioned the last part of her reply. Then he asked where Lyle, Jexas, and I were at. Waxer then spoke up, saying that Lyle turned out to be a turnfeather. As for Jexas and I, we were washed away by a cave flood caused by Kludd. Everyone gasped at the mention of Kludd. Soren was shocked most of all. He told Waxer to elaborate. Waxer didn't mean to say Kludd's name; he was still depressed about Lyle's betrayal. But it slipped, and now he had to tell all. Steele told Waxer not to say anything; he would tell Soren all. He did so, too, and Soren was not a happy owl. He shoved Steele, and walked away, muttering to himself. Off somewhere in the middle of Ambala, Kludd had found an abandoned church. He decided to stay there and rest for a bit. Little did he know, though, that he was being closely watched. As he walked farther into the church, he heard movement behind him. He turned to look, but there was nothing there, so he turned back. Suddenly, he heard it again to his left. As he looked, something came flying out of the shadows from his right and tackled him into the ground. It was Dark owl, who now called himself Saber. Kludd tried to throw him off, but Saber only pinned him down. Then Draux flew down from a perch high in the church and landed next to Kludd. He tapped his talon and said to Kludd that he didn't like it when owls escaped from Hagsmire. Then he dug his talons into Kludd's back, causing Kludd to screech madly in pain. Draux dug deeper and said that the pain would end as long as Kludd did exactly as he said. Kludd agrees, and Draux lets go. Back at One-Eyed Thomas' lair, since One-Eyed Thomas had disappeared, Aerex assumed control of his army. But he was shocked by what had happened to it. Since the attack made by the owls and eagles, the falcons had abandoned the army and the number of owls had been cut in half. A bunch of Pure One recruits had left as well. Aerex hoped that he could rebuild the army. Deeper in the canyons, Jexas finally found his way out. He then went in search for me. While he was looking for me, he ran into an old Burrowing Owl. The owl told him to come with him, but Jexas tried to flee. Instead of getting away, he was grabbed by the foot and dragged away by the old owl. His captor told him to respect his elders, and then hauled Jexas off to his hollow. When they got there, Dex told Jexas to relax. Jexas was rather curious about this owl, and decided to ask him about his life. He did so, and Dex told him that he grew up and lived a regular life. He got a mate, and together, they only had one owlet. When their owlet grew up, he got a mate, but they were captured by St. Aggies patrol units. When the Pure Ones took over, Norex and his mate joined them. Jexas asked Dex what his son's name was. He smiled and said his name was Norex. Jexas' only reply was fainting.


	25. The End of an Era

Back at the great tree, Soren was refusing to speak to Steele. Since he had nothing better to do, Steele went to go find Kludd. He didn't have to go far, though, because Kludd showed up at the tree a moment later. He told them what had become of the One-Eyed Renegade. Soren decided it was time for one final attack. Soren got ready to leave for the Vultures' Stronghold. Once his team was ready, which consisted of fifty owls, they left. They arrived there in less than a day. As they approached, Soren saw Ed, One-Eyed Thomas' pet, waving a white flag. The Guardians landed, and Ed approached them. He said Aerex wished to speak to Soren in private. Some of his team questioned Soren's safety if he was alone on enemy territory, but Soren said that they could trust that he could take care of himself if something happened between him and Aerex. He told the Barn owls of the group to keep their ears open, just in case. Then he followed Ed to where Aerex was waiting for him. When he saw Aerex, he was sitting at a table. Aerex smiled at Soren and told him to sit down. Then he said they would settle this like civilized beings. Underground in the St. Aggies Canyons, One-Eyed Thomas and I had been flying for what felt like hours. We had reached multiple forks, and by using my incredible hearing, I pointed us in what I hoped was the right direction. Soon, we came upon a three-way fork. I listened intently down each of them. The left one I could tell was flooded; the right one was open; but the center one, well there was something special about that one. The sounds coming from it were confusing, but I felt an urge to explore it. I didn't tell One-Eyed Thomas that the right path was the right one, but instead said we should check out the center one. We flew down it and came to another fork, this one a two-way. I said to go right, and so we did. Again, we came to yet another fork, same as the last. This time though, I decided to go left. We followed it, and soon came upon a wide open cave. It was huge in every sense of the word. Half of it was what seemed to be an underwater lake. The other half, though, was dry land. In the center of the wall on the dry land half, there was a big, metal door with a handle. It looked heavy and hard to open, which was true; but I figured Steele could open it if he were in Phoenix form. I asked One-Eyed Thomas if he could open the door, but he said he wasn't even going to bother trying. I asked him why, and he said the door was locked in multiple places. It wouldn't be worth the energy. I didn't notice the locks at first, but now that I looked closer at the door, there were seven locks on the door: two on top, two on bottom, and three running down the left side. I decided that we should leave, but I left scratches in the walls every so often so that I could find my way back to the cave. We came back to the three-way fork, and then went down the right tunnel. After a couple hundred feet, I stopped and hovered. One-Eyed Thomas stopped too, and asked me why we were stopping. I told him to be quiet for a moment. Then I listened real hard. I could hear the strangest sound. It sounded like water, but it was rushing really fast. The only other place I'd ever heard such a sound was from a waterfall. I told One-Eyed Thomas to follow me to the end of the cave. We soon reached one last fork, and I said go right, towards the sound of the water. We flew towards it, and when we reached the end, there it was: a waterfall. I couldn't believe it. There was a waterfall in the St. Aegolius Canyons! It was covering the entrance to the cave. I told One-Eyed Thomas that we needed to fly through it to get out. He seemed hesitant, so I asked him if he'd rather stay in the cave with no food, light, or room to fly. That made up his mind in a heartbeat. We were going to need more distance, so we flew back into the cave a short distance. I asked if he wanted to go first, but he said I should. I nodded, and then flew through the cave, through the waterfall, and out into the open air. I looked around, and the first thing I noticed was that we were no longer in the canyons, but were now in Ambala. I knew exactly where I was now. I flew back into the cave and told One-Eyed Thomas it was safe and that we were in Ambala. He followed me back out of the cave. He said that now that we were out, we were no longer a team, and he fled to the west, back into the canyons of St. Aggies. I flew in the opposite direction, but I didn't go very far before I heard a familiar voice yell out my name. I flew to the voice and found Jexas with an old Burrowing owl. Jexas was so happy to see me. He introduced the old owl as Dex, his grandpa. I asked if this family member of his was going to try and kill me too, and he said that he wasn't. Then we went back to Dex's hollow and he told me his story. At Aerex's stronghold, while Aerex talked with Soren, Soren started to realize that he was stalling for something. He turned to look outside, and saw bats filling the sky. When he turned back, Aerex attacked him. A new fight between owl and vulture had begun. Outside, Gylfie sew hundreds and hundreds of bats flying overhead. They soon started to swarm the Guardians, but the Guardians fought back. As One-Eyed Thomas was flying to the canyons, he saw the bats swarming to a spot in Ambala. He hurried over there. As Dex finished his story, I looked out his hollow to see the bats swarming, and I also saw One-Eyed Thomas flying to the source. I told Dex and Jexas that I had to go and see what trouble he was causing now. I said my goodbyes, and took off after him. They also saw the bats, and Jexas turned to Dex with a wanting look on his face. Dex pulled out a sharpened stick, and said he just cleaned it. Then the two Burrowing owls flew out to the battle to help the Guardians. The eagles soon showed up to the fight to help the Guardians as well. Steele commanded Kludd to go assist Yren with the bats he was fighting. Kludd obeyed and went to help. Steele was greatly shocked by how cooperative Kludd was being, but that didn't matter. Soren needed help. Steele finished off the bats he was fighting and went to go help Soren. On his way to Soren, he noticed that Ed was following him with three other bats. Steele swiped around, hitting Ed with his wing, sending him spiraling towards the ground and to his death. Ed hit one of the bats following him, taking it with him. The other two flew off in fear. Then Steele turned around and started back on his way to Soren. Jexas and Dex soon showed up at the battle. They began attacking the bats. As One-Eyed Thomas arrived, I got in front of him and blocked his way. I told him that we needed to work together in order to stop the fighting. If we wanted to end the war, we would need to become a team again. One-Eyed Thomas wasn't looking for a peaceful end to the war, though. He was becoming power-hungry again. He yelled at me to get out of his way. Because I up and refused to, he started to get madder and madder. He let loose from his beak a huge roar, and then flew at me. He tackled me, and I went spiraling backwards. I quickly regained my balance and flew back into is flight path, once more blocking his way. I told him I wasn't going to fight him, but I also wasn't going to allow him to pass. He said that if I wouldn't move and if I wouldn't fight him, then he'd make me fight him, and he charged at me again. I dodged left, and he spun around and flew back at me. I flew off and he followed me. When I was close enough, I hooked to the left ninety degrees, faster than One-Eyed Thomas could think, and he kept flying straight; straight into a tree. His self-induced concussion didn't knock him out, but it did knock him senseless for a moment. He fell a good distance and was caught between two branches of the tree. Once he was back to normal, he took off back into the sky. It didn't take him long to find me, for I was watching his downfall begin to unfold from only a few yards away. He looked mad as Hagsmire when he flew at me this time. As he got closer, I flew in a circle and bolted off in a random direction. I just so happened to be flying towards the bats, but One-Eyed Thomas didn't notice. I flew straight through a group of bats, but didn't so much as touch one of them. One-Eyed Thomas, on the other hand, hit many of them. He was taking out his own troops and didn't even know it; he was too focused on trying to kill me. In response to taking out a bunch of the bats, what he didn't take out turned on him and started attacking him. I stopped flying and hovered before the sight in front of me. I told One-Eyed Thomas that it could end at any time. All he had to do was call the bats off from attacking the other Guardians. As soon as the bats started to try eating him, he agreed. I quickly pulled out my short swords and killed off the bats that were trying to eat him. Then I heard words I thought I'd never hear come out of One-Eyed Thomas' beak. He thanked me for saving his life. Then he flew to a spot above the bats and Guardians and yelled for the bats to stop fighting and retreat. Much to his surprise though, the bats kept on fighting. He had lost his control over them. He flew back to me and said that they were no longer obeying his commands. I said that Aerex must've bribed them. I told him that the only way for the bats to give up was for Aerex to be killed. One-Eyed Thomas said he could do it. At that comment, he flew to the entrance of Aerex's stronghold. I followed after him. Inside the stronghold, Aerex and Soren were fighting inside the dining hall. Aerex suddenly grabbed a knife and slashed at Soren. He missed, but not by much. Soren looked around and an idea came to him. He needed to get Aerex outside. There was a window off to his left. If he could just get Aerex close enough to it... Aerex slashed at Soren again and Soren dodged again, this time in the direction of the window. This happened several times more. After one more swipe, Aerex would be close enough. Aerex took that swipe, missed again, and got quite the surprise. Soren kicked him really hard and he went flipping through the window, and then plummeted to the ground. Soren waited a moment, and then flew out the broken window to see if Aerex was alive. Aerex suddenly came flying at him from below, pointing the knife at Soren, ready to kill him. Soren looked down just in time and was able to dodge Aerex. One-Eyed Thomas and I saw it happen, and we charged in their direction. Unfortunately, we weren't able to make it to Soren, because bats started to swarm us. We fought them off as best we could, but if my calculations were correct, we weren't going to make it to Soren in time. Luckily, Steele would. Steele rocketed his way to Soren, and when the bats tried to swarm him, he erupted into Phoenix form and forced his way through them. Steele got to him just in time. Right before Aerex could take another swipe at Soren, Steele flew in and knocked the knife from Aerex's talon. Then he grabbed it and stabbed Aerex's wing. Aerex started to fall, but he grabbed Soren by his talons and they both fell to the roof below them. The only thing holding them up was Soren's quick thinking. He had grabbed on to the ledge with his free foot. Steele flew to them and grabbed Soren and lifted him up. Aerex took one last swipe at Soren, but Soren dodged and clawed Aerex in the face. Since that didn't get Aerex to let go, Steele took the knife and stabbed Aerex's talon. That caused him to lose his grip, and he fell into the large cavern below. He tried to fly, but because his wing was cut, he couldn't. All he really did by flapping his wings was cause the damaged one to bleed more, so he finally gave up and accepted his fate. He hit the ground a moment later with a loud crack. Aerex was finally dead. Now that the bats' leader was dead, they surrendered. Steele landed on the ground and set Soren down. Soren told him that he forgave him for resurrecting Kludd; besides, he seemed to be acting good. Steele still had a bad feeling deep down in his gizzard, though. The war was finally over. I invited One-Eyed Thomas to come to the great tree to get his wounds healed, and after a long time of thinking, he accepted the offer. With no more reason to stay, the Guardians, along with Dex and One-Eyed Thomas, flew back to the great tree. One-Eyed Thomas didn't stay long though. His visit lasted only until his wounds were healed. I asked him where he was going to go. He said that he didn't have anywhere to go. The whole Southern Kingdoms, and possibly the Northern Kingdoms, knew that he was evil. I told him that there was only one place for him now. He asked where that was. I told him that the place he needed to go was in Beyond the Beyond. My team and I would even give him a Guardian escort there, so he wouldn't be attacked on a solo flight there. He thanked me. I told Soren our plan, and he agreed that it was the best thing for One-Eyed Thomas. He said we could leave the next night. The next night came, and we left at First Dark. As soon as we left, a falcon landed and requested to see Soren. When they met, the falcon handed Soren a note. Then he left. Soren opened the note and read it to himself. The note said that the Leaders (well, what was left of them) were to meet up five days from now to discuss an important matter. It also asked Soren to bring the two owls that were accused of killing Princess Darla, but not to worry, because they weren't in trouble. Soren was intrigued by the note. He hoped that I'd make it back in time for the meeting. My team, One-Eyed Thomas, and I had just made it across the Sea of Hoolemere, and were now heading into Silverveil from Cape Glaux. We made it through Silverveil in one day. We flew day and night. We didn't have to worry about being mobbed by crows, because I was with us, and One-Eyed Thomas was with us. The crows feared both. We rested on the outskirts of Silverveil for a day, and then flew through the Shadow Forest the next night. By the middle of the next day, we were in the Beyond the Beyond. I introduced One-Eyed Thomas to a MacHeath wolf named Dryden. Dryden was the first friend I made in the Beyond, and even though he was labeled a MacHeath by name, he was quite the contrary by action. I told Dryden to take care of One-Eyed Thomas as best he could, and if he needed to contact me, to have him tell Dryden, and he would make sure I got the message. Dryden offered us his cave to rest in for the rest of the day, and we gladly took him up on it. We left that night and made it back to the tree in two days time. As soon as we got there though, Soren said I had to leave again with him and Digger. We were going to meet with the Leaders. I groaned a bit about it, but went nonetheless. When we got there, Yren and Jerex were waiting for us. Soren had updated us on what the meeting was going to be about on the way there, so I became rather curious as to what the Leaders had to say. Jerex stepped forward and asked that the two Guardians accused of murdering his daughter please step forward. Digger and I did so, and then he began. He started by saying that after abandoning an unwanted alliance with the One-Eyed Renegade, he and the falcons returned to their palace. When they got there, they found the dead body of a hawk. When talking with One-Eyed Thomas, he had heard him say things about the hawks, but he had never seen them. He even overheard him bragging once about an assassination plan of a falcon that was to be performed by two hawks, and would gain his alliance, but he had refused to believe it to be true. When he found the hawk body outside the palace, he realized it was true. Then he lowered himself to the ground and said he was deeply sorry for accusing us for the death of his daughter, and asked us if we would ever forgive him. After a moment, we both said that we would. He thanked us, and got back up. Then Yren went up to Jerex, lowered himself to the ground, and apologized for not being there to help the falcons the first time One-Eyed Thomas attacked them. Jerex told him that he forgave him, and for him to get up. Yren rose, and then Soren asked what the issue was that needed discussing. Yren said that they were going to ask him that. That's when I stepped forward. I told them that even though One-Eyed Thomas and Aerex were no longer threats, there was still one more to worry about. His name was Draux, and he was the Devil Owl. Then I told them what Dr. Percival and I had discovered. I wasn't sure if this was important or not, but I also mentioned the door One-Eyed Thomas and I had found in the tunnels of St. Aggies. The Leaders were shocked by this news. They said that this owl called Draux must be found and executed. I told him that it's been tried before, but he has still managed to come back. Yren and Jerex said they would try and think of something to do about him. I said that they needed to hurry, because the anniversary of the Burning was coming up quickly. Then the meeting was adjourned. We all went back to our homes to try and figure out what to do.


End file.
